The Hidden Avatar
by Shaddic
Summary: According to the avatar cycle, the next avatar should have been born to the Air Nomads. However, no one can find the avatar. A new enemy has arisen, but the avatar is nowhere to be found. Two young airbenders set out to find the avatar, but can they find it in time?
1. Searching

_**Author's Note: **__So this is my very first Avatar fanfiction, and I'm excited about it. It's set several hundred years before the events of A:TLA. I've been working on it for months, and I had the idea for it long before that. I had some ideas that I wanted to explore and see where I could take them. Certain things about this story will make more sense if you've seen Legend of Korra, but it's not necessary. I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

As much as the Air Nomads value peace, trying to learn airbending could be pretty stressful. Sayu, a young airbender, was running through the temple, late as usual for her training session with her master, Sifu Atasi. She had tried to be on time today, she promised herself she would be, but it just didn't work out that way. She would have to try again tomorrow.

She ran past several other airbenders in training and a few monks who looked on her with disapproval, but she was used to that. She wasn't exactly popular in the temple.

"Where's the fire, Sayu?" asked a little kid chasing a lemur. "Are you chasing lemurs, too?"

"Nope, I'm late again," she said as she quickened her pace.

"Because you were chasing lemurs?"

"Maybe, it's a secret," she said as she flashed him a grin.

Sayu finally reached the room where their sessions often took place. It had only two walls, the rest was left open, next to an ancient tree. The tree's branches extended inside the room, which was why the room was not complete, they had not wanted to cut off its limbs. Sitting under its leafy branches were Atasi and Ryosuke, already meditating. Neither one acknowledged her arrival, which she was grateful for. She put her staff on the floor and quickly sat down in the lotus position and joined them in their meditating.

Despite being an Air Nomad, meditating was always a challenge for Sayu. It was a strange problem, really; it was like a waterbender being unable to swim or an earthbender detesting dirt. She had trouble because her brain was always going on hyper speed, bombarding her with a hundred thoughts a second. Clearing her head was not impossible, but it was a chore. She enjoyed meditation, it relaxed her and strengthened her bending ability and her connection with her spiritual side, but it did get tedious every now and again. Airbender training was three-fourths meditation and one-fourth action. Or at least it seemed that way to her.

They meditated for three hours. It took an hour for Sayu to calm her mind down, another to clear it, and the last to do any actual meditating. Sifu Atasi usually let Sayu and Ryosuke meditate on whatever they felt drawn to at the time, unless she felt there was something specific they needed to ponder on. That day, she chose to meditate on the tree, and how it symbolized how all life is connected, a lesson she had learned at a young age. She imagined what it would be like to be the tree, or one of the animals dependent on it for life and sustenance. She then pictured her spirit as being like the tree, its branches spreading through her arms and legs, to her fingers and toes, filling every part of her and giving her strength and wisdom. It seemed like the kind of thing her master would want her to meditate on.

"You may open your eyes now," said Atasi. She had a low, melodic voice. She was never angry, though Sayu and Ryosuke had seen her come very close to getting angry in the past. Her hair was black with streaks of gray and shaved halfway to show her arrow. Sayu's hair was black and shaved halfway as well, but she had no arrow to show off. "Sayu, you were late again. You keep showing up later and later, I expect at some point you will be so late that you will loop around and arrive on time for the first time in your life."

"Yeah Sayu, you missed out on some insane meditating back there," said Ryosuke, Atasi's other pupil. He was bigger and more muscular than most airbenders, but he didn't seem to notice. "It was a real adventure."

Sayu smiled, but then Atasi continued, "If you ever wish to earn your arrow, you must take your training more seriously."

"Yes, Sifu Atasi." If she had a copper piece for every time she'd heard that lecture…

"Now, you both may go, but I want you to reflect on what you were meditating on."

They bowed in respect, and then took off on their gliders and flew up to the sky. The day was bright and sunny, with only a few clouds here and there to fly through, making it a perfect day for flying. There were already other airbenders out there flying, there was always at least one person soaring around the temple.

"Hey Ryosuke, you might be the one with the arrow, but I'm going to fly circles around you so fast it'll make your ancestors dizzy!" Sayu called.

"My glider could beat you in a race all by itself!" Ryosuke called back.

Sayu chased Ryosuke through the clouds, but he looped over her and started chasing her. This went on for a while, the two chasing each other under the sun. They stopped chasing each other at some point and instead competed over who could make better pictures in the clouds.

"Is that a poodle monkey?" Sayu asked after Ryosuke finished making a picture with a cloud.

"No, it's the avatar, doofus!" he called back.

Sayu designed a cloud of her own, and Ryosuke asked, "Is that a cabbage slug?"

"It's a dragon, stupid!"

They eventually landed in a spot near the airball arena but far enough away that they weren't bothered by the noise. They watched the younger kids play and they talked for a while.

"What were you meditating on?" Sayu asked.

"Egg custard tart. I missed lunch today," he replied, and they laughed.

"I heard that more men are coming here from the Eastern and Western temples, and more women are moving away," said Ryosuke. "Pretty soon the Southern Air Temple will be inhabited by only guys with no ladies, that's going to stink. Are you going to move away, as well?"

"This is my home, I can't imagine living anywhere else. And I don't think they would want me at the other temples, they already tried to send me away, remember?"

Sayu was born in the Southern Air Temple, but when she was little, she was sent to the Western Air Temple to train with other girls. She was sent back not long after due to her "astonishing and perplexing lack of skill." She was very bad at airbending, even the simplest forms had a way of confusing her, and she almost always ended up making a fool of herself, but Ryosuke never seemed to mind.

Sayu was sent back to train with Sifu Atasi, who specialized in special cases and had raised her since she was a baby. Ryosuke was also a special case, but he was at the other end of the spectrum. He had earned his arrow six years previously, but Sayu believed he should have had it before he could walk, he was that good. He didn't brag about his skills, though he had every right to. All the monks said he was the best and brightest airbender of his generation.

"Well, I'm glad they sent you back. You know, I bet you're going to earn your arrow any day now, I can feel it."

"I'm seventeen, I think if I was ever going to get it, I would have by now. I'm awful at airbending, it's a wonder I can even fly. I've resigned myself to going arrowless for the rest of my life," Sayu said quietly.

"You're a late bloomer, that's all," said Ryosuke with the smile that always set her heart aflutter. "You'll get that arrow, one day. And if not, that's fine, too. You can get something else tattooed on your head, start a new tradition."

"I could get a lemur, or a lightning bolt," she said, grinning.

"Man, I should have gotten a lightning bolt, but no, all I've got is this dumb arrow. Think I can trade?"

"Ryosuke, to think you would suggest something so scandalous! I just hope your mother doesn't find out!"

As he laughed, Sayu saw some little kids playing in the grass down below them. They were pretending to be the avatar. Some were pretending to waterbend, while others pretended to shoot flames out of their fists.

"I still can't believe they haven't found the avatar," said Sayu. "Shouldn't the elders have figured out who it is by now?"

The last avatar, a wise and powerful firebender who maintained the peace during his time, had died of old age seventeen years ago. Since then, the monks and nuns in every temple had been on the lookout for the next avatar. Every kid in their generation had been tested, with no results.

"It baffles them that they haven't figured it out yet," said Ryosuke. "I've heard that the other nations are getting impatient, they're starting to think that the elders know who it is but are keeping it secret. They think we're going to use the avatar to try to gain more power and take over the world."

"That's ridiculous," said Sayu. "I mean, it might be feasible if we were the Fire Nation, but we're the Air Nomads for crying out loud! Peace is our thing, we don't start wars. We don't even have a military."

"We know that, and they know that, but rumors get started and they aren't easy to stomp out. The elders are working harder to find out who is it so that they can prove they're not plotting anything and prevent violence breaking out over this. Atasi said they're going to make some kind of announcement tomorrow about it. If they're not announcing that they found the avatar, then it'll be an announcement of extra measures they're taking to find him or her."

"Do you remember when we took the test? How confused they were when it wasn't you? With your skill, everyone thought you were going to be Mr. Avatar, they couldn't believe it when you weren't. It came as no shock when I flunked it. But being surrounded by so many toys was like a dream."

The test was simply sending a child to pick out four toys out of thousands. Some were avatar relics, and if the child chose them, it showed that they remembered the relics and that they were the avatar. But no one had chosen correctly, no one passed.

"Putting a kid in front of thousands of toys just for a test is such a huge tease, they should be ashamed of themselves," Ryosuke said with a chuckle. "I remember trying to melt snow with firebending, or trying to tip someone's glass over with waterbending. Everyone does it when they're kids, especially when they have a real shot at being the avatar. I was disappointed when it turned out it wasn't me."

"I was too. I tried to trip one of the monks once by making the ground move, but no luck. I keep waiting for someone to get really mad and break the temple in half with earthbending, or to sneeze out fire."

"I really hope that's how we find out, just imagine how shocking it would be for that person. Hey, are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat."

They went to eat dinner, but on their way they passed by a group of kids stomping on anthills.

"Hey, stop that!" said Sayu angrily. "What did those ants ever do to you?"

"Nothing, we were just having fun," said one of them sheepishly.

"How would you like it if someone came in and started stomping on your home just because they were bigger than you? Wouldn't be much fun, would it?"

They shook their heads.

"That's right, now go play somewhere else and leave the ants alone."

The children ran off, and Ryosuke said, "Good to see the ants have a champion."

Sayu's anger subsided. "I just don't like to see animals and insects hurt, that's all."

They ate dinner, and then they said goodnight and went off to their beds. Sayu had to meditate again before going to sleep. This was to clear her thoughts so that she might be struck by enlightenment in her sleep, or at least sleep soundly through the night without dreaming.

She couldn't focus on meditating, so she instead looked out her window. The clouds had finally moved away from the moon. It was a full moon, which meant it would make waterbending stronger. A lot of airbenders her age were probably trying to make a splash right now, summon their latent avatar powers. Maybe one of them would be successful. It was autumn, the season when airbenders are at their peak, so maybe the avatar would finally show itself, Sayu thought.

She went to bed soon after, her head still buzzing. Her meditation really needed work.

* * *

The next morning, the two ate breakfast together. Ryosuke had a mango, and Sayu had a papaya. When they had almost finished eating, a boy came to deliver a message.

"The council of monks requests everyone's presence immediately!"

"You think they finally found the avatar?" Sayu asked.

"If not, they could always say one of us is the avatar and use special effects to make it look like we're bending all four elements," Ryosuke joked.

They gathered with the other airbenders before the council of monks. Everyone knew it was about the avatar, but no one had any idea of what they had to say. One of them stood up, an old man with a thin white goatee and squinty eyes. He motioned for everyone to be silent, all talk ceased instantly.

"As you all know, we have yet to determine who the avatar is. The monks and nuns from the other temples have also had no luck in this matter. We have been fasting and meditating for weeks on end, and we still have had no success. Every seventeen year old airbender has been tested, and none have shown any signs of being the avatar. It is because of this that we have reason to believe that the avatar may not be in any of the air temples. The avatar might have left the air temples, or might have been taken by someone to one of the other nations for reasons unknown to us. Whoever it is may know that they are the avatar and might already be in training, or they may have no idea of who they are. We have decided to send out search parties to the other nations to search for the avatar. Volunteers from each of the other three temples will aid in our search, the only rule being that they must be over the age of sixteen. If you are successful, bring the avatar to one of the four temples immediately, but you must have proof. We have no time for foolishness, they must be able to bend at least two elements."

"And if no one is successful?" asked Atasi near the front.

"If the avatar is not found, then we must conclude that the avatar cycle has ended. There have been threats against us and the rest of the world. The others nations are starting to believe the rumor that we are secretly harboring and training the avatar so that we may use it for our own benefit and military advancement. This is untrue, as you all know, but unless we can prove otherwise we may be in trouble. There is also the threat of the Black Lotus, a new organization that has begun terrorizing the Earth Kingdom and is spreading out quickly, but we do not know their motives as of yet. You can see why it is imperative that he or she be found immediately. Anyone who is interested in the search, speak to us or to your masters first. We recommend traveling in groups of two or more for security and to increase your chances of success. That is all we have to say on the matter."

"We should go," Sayu said to Ryosuke.

"I was thinking the same thing. I've never been to one of the other nations, only to other air temples. This will be so exciting!"

"Let's go talk to Atasi, and then let's start packing supplies."

"Let's take your bison, he's bigger and faster than mine."

They went to find Atasi, who was talking to some of the monks. She caught them in the corner of her eye and said, "I assume the two of you wish to aid in the search."

"Yes, Sifu Atasi, with your permission," said Ryosuke.

"I have no reason to stop you, we need as many people out there searching as we can get. Stay safe, and continue with your training and meditation. I hope to see you both again soon."

"Thank you, Sifu Atasi," they said in unison as they bowed.

Sayu packed sleeping bags and a few sets of clothing, along with a few other necessities. She didn't have many earthly possessions, so packing took no time at all. She met Ryosuke outside the temple, he had collected food for the trip. They went together to her sky bison, Kiba.

"Hey Kiba!" Sayu said as she hugged him. He licked her affectionately, and his tongue was so big it knocked her down.

Ryosuke scratched behind one of his ears. "How are you doing, buddy?"

"Kiba, we're going on a mission to find the avatar," said Sayu as she got back on her feet and stroked his white fur. "You want to come with us?"

He nuzzled his face against her, and she had to hold onto one of his horns to keep from falling over again. Sayu jumped into the saddle, and Ryosuke tossed up the supplies to her. Once everything was loaded, Ryosuke leapt into the saddle.

"So where are we going, exactly?" asked Ryosuke. "I guess I should have asked this question sooner."

"Don't worry, I already have a plan. I had a theory, what if someone left with the avatar when they were a kid and didn't realize what their kid was? Or maybe they did find out and they took off with them on purpose. I've been doing some research lately, and I found some interesting things. The library at the temple keeps track of births, deaths, and departures from all four temples. There were three significant ones." Sayu took out a map and spread it out on the saddle. She pointed to the nations as she spoke. "A woman left the Eastern Air Temple to marry a man from the Southern Water Tribe seventeen years ago. Two airbenders moved to Makapu village in the Earth Kingdom to start a new life together twenty years ago. A man from the Northern Air Temple took his infant daughter to live in the Fire Nation the same year the last avatar died."

"Do you think he knew his daughter was the avatar and that's why he took her?" Ryosuke asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should check all these cases out. The avatar might be trying to learn one of the other elements right now, or they might not even know what they are. Let's start with the Southern Water Tribe, it's closest."

"It's a good thing you took the time to make a plan, I would have just flown around aimlessly, hoping I'd get lucky. Lead the way, captain!" said Ryosuke eagerly.

"Yip yip, Kiba!" said Sayu, and the sky bison took off into the air.

They flew all day long. Sayu watched the water down below them, shimmering in the light of the sun. She watched fish leap out of the water and birds try to catch them. The sun was hot on their faces, but Sayu knew it would be getting cold soon, so she savored the heat while they had it.

By the time the sun was going down, they spotted land. They wanted to go to the village, but the people who lived there wouldn't be very happy if they woke them up when they were trying to sleep. The two slept on Kiba's back in the saddle. This wasn't the first time Sayu had slept in his saddle, and it wouldn't be the last, either. To her, it was the happiest place in the world.


	2. The Southern Water Tribe

Sayu slept later than usual the next morning from flying so long the day before. She awoke to the feeling of something wet and cold on her face. She opened her eyes and saw Ryosuke sprinkling bits of snow on her face.

"Hey, it's cold enough out here already without you dropping snow all over me," she said as she brushed away the snowflakes.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Here, have some berries." He handed her some berries from his satchel, and she ate them as she looked out over the icy landscape. Sayu knew the Water Tribes had snow all year round, but she had never seen so much before. Everything was white and blue, and freezing. When she breathed, she could see her breath in front of her face.

"Let's try to get out of here as quickly as we can, before I lose all my toes," said Sayu with a slight shiver.

"I've never minded the cold, but I couldn't stand it all year round. The people here must be tough," Ryosuke commented.

"Let's go talk to the people, see what we can find out."

They climbed out of the saddle and left Kiba to go to the village. Sayu knew the Southern Water Tribe was supposed to be smaller than the Northern Water Tribe, but it was still pretty impressive. She wondered in awe what its sister tribe must look like.

There was a gate, and a guard asked, "Who are you and what is your business here?"

"My name is Sayu, and this is my friend, Ryosuke. We're from the Southern Air Temple and we're in search of the avatar."

"The avatar is supposed to be an airbender this time, you won't find too many of them in here," said the guard, sounding bored.

"We think the avatar might have come here. We don't mean any trouble, and we don't plan to stay long. Will you please allow us entrance?" Sayu asked.

The guard thought it over for a minute. "Well, I've never heard of an Air Nomad stirring up trouble, you can go in."

"Thank you, sir," they said in unison.

They went inside the gate and saw many igloos scattered about. People were going about their daily lives. Some were carrying fishing poles and nets, others were washing or mending clothes. Kids ran around throwing snowballs at each other, laughing and screaming in delight.

"Who should we talk to first?" asked Ryosuke.

Sayu thought of the monks who led their people, so she suggested, "Let's find someone old and talk to them."

Ryosuke pointed to an old man with an eyepatch telling a story to a bunch of kids. Not wanting to interrupt, they waited until his story was finished.

"And that's how I harpooned the biggest whale in the ocean and lost my right eye," he said as he pointed to his eyepatch. "Now you kids run along, that's enough storytelling for now."

The kids ran off, and Sayu went up to him and said, "Hello, my name is Sayu and this is my friend, Ryosuke. We're looking for a woman who moved here from one of the air temples several years ago. Is she still here?"

"It always feels weird to see airbenders on the ground instead of in the sky," the old man commented as he ran a hand through his wispy gray hair. They could see he was missing several teeth. "What do you want with Song?"

"She used to be an Air Nomad, like us, and we wanted to speak with her," Ryosuke explained.

"She's in the igloo closest to the ocean, but you'd better not try to take her back to the temple, we love Song like she was one of our own." He appeared to wink at them, but with his missing eye it was hard to tell.

"We won't. Thanks!" said Ryosuke as they started walking towards the water.

There were clouds gathering above their heads, a storm was coming. The people's behavior seemed to confirm this; they began taking food and supplies into their igloos. Mothers chased their little children to bring them inside. Sayu noticed a few people were looking at them, but for the most part, no one was treating their presence as strange. They were outsiders and the Water Tribe probably didn't get visitors too often, but strangers must not be as uncommon as they thought.

"This must be Song's igloo. There's no door, how do you knock?" Ryosuke asked.

Sayu was about to reply, but then a woman came up behind them holding a basket full of what looked like various types of seaweed. With a kind smile, she asked, "Hello, can I help you?"

"Are you Song?" Sayu asked as they turned around.

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?" she said with a slight tilt of her head.

At first glance, Song looked nothing like an Air Nomad. Her dark brown hair was fully grown out, not shaved halfway like Sayu's. She wore blue clothes like everyone else here; if they didn't already know who she was, they would have assumed she had been born here in the Water Tribe. But with a closer look, Sayu could see the tip of a blue arrow under her bangs.

"We're searching for the avatar," Ryosuke explained. "None of the four air temples have had any luck in finding the avatar, so we think the avatar is in another part of the world. We know you were an Air Nomad and that you came here many years ago, have you had any children since then?"

"Just my daughter, Misa. She was born not long after the avatar died, but she's a waterbender, like her father. She's never shown any signs of being the avatar."

"May we speak with her? It's not that we don't believe you, it's just that we want to be thorough in our search. It would be foolish to leave without checking, especially if she really is the avatar," said Ryosuke.

"She's at the back of the house, bringing in the laundry. You can talk to her, but be quick about it. There's a blizzard coming soon," she warned.

Sayu and Ryosuke went around the igloo and found a girl who looked nearly identical to her mother. Same heart-shaped face, same dark brown hair tied back in a simple but elegant braid. She was taking clothes off a clothesline and putting them in a basket.

She picked up the basket and turned to bring it inside, but Ryosuke said, "Allow me." He used airbending to lift the basket out of her arms and bring it inside.

"My hero," she said as she put her hands on her hips with a smirk. "I don't know how I would have gotten such a heavy basket into the house by myself."

"It's a thankless job, but someone's got to do it," said Ryosuke, grinning. Anyone else would have thought Ryosuke was flirting with Misa, but Sayu knew him well enough to know that wasn't the case. He liked people and he was friendly to everyone.

"So who are you two? Is this your first time in the Water Tribe?" Misa asked.

"It is, actually. I'm Sayu, and this is Ryosuke. We've only ever been to other air temples, never anywhere else."

Every airbender visited the other temples many times in their lives. The elders believed it was important for young airbenders to see the other temples, to learn their ways and broaden their horizons. Most airbenders visited the other nations as well as the other temples, but Ryosuke and Sayu had chosen not to, though every year they told themselves they would. There was no real reason why they never did, they had just never gotten around to it. When they took their journeys to other temples, they weren't allowed to go together, they had to go alone so they could focus more on learning and finding enlightenment. They were always excited to get back home and see each other again.

"Plenty of airbenders come through here, and you've never even visited once? I thought you were called nomads for a reason," said Misa with a wry smile.

"It's shameful, really, but I guess we're just not the adventuring kind. We're making an exception here," said Ryosuke.

"And why are you making an exception?" she asked.

They explained their quest to her, and she listened with her interest piqued.

"And you think I could be the avatar?" she asked incredulously.

"It's possible. Have you ever been able to bend any other elements, even slightly? Or do you feel more connected to your spiritual side than other people do?" asked Ryosuke.

"I do feel more in tune with my spiritual side, but only because my mom usually makes me meditate with her. I used to try bending other elements, but I haven't in many years. It just seemed a waste of time, you know?"

"I know what you mean," said Ryosuke. "So your mom still meditates, even though she stopped being an Air Nomad?"

"I wouldn't say she ever stopped being an Air Nomad," said Misa. "She might have adopted this culture for my dad, but she could never give up the one she grew up in. Meditating is her way of staying connected with her culture, it helps her to not get homesick. I don't mind doing it with her all that much, it lets us spend time together."

"I guess it couldn't have been easy for her to leave home," Sayu mused. "Does she ever go back to visit?"

"She and my dad have talked about it for years, but that's all it's ever been, talk," said Misa as she shook her head. "I'd like to see the temples, see my mom's homeland instead of just hearing about it. Really though, I'd just like to get out of here."

Before Sayu or Ryosuke could ask her to elaborate, Song called out, "Come inside, the storm is here!"

They looked up, and sure enough, snow started coming down hard. They rushed inside the igloo where it was a little warmer.

"I can't fly Kiba in that," Sayu said as she looked out. She couldn't see a thing through the snow. "Song, would you mind if we stayed with you for the night?"

"Of course not, I was once an Air Nomad, so it's an honor and a pleasure to have airbenders in my home," she said with a smile. "My husband should return before long, he's on a fishing trip with some of the other men."

Sayu took a good look at the igloo they were sitting in. There was a fireplace with a low burning fire that made it feel cozy. There were several animal pelts hanging, which made Sayu feel a bit uneasy, though she kept those feelings to herself. There were flowers painted on the walls, and that cheered her up.

"Did you paint those flowers, Misa?" Sayu asked. "They're beautiful."

Misa looked to the flowers and cracked a smile. "Yeah, I did. Obviously flowers can't grow out here in the snow, so I had to improvise. Another airbender came here a few years ago and drew flowers for me, and I copied them on the walls since I've never seen them in real life. Although, since I've never seen them in real life, sometimes I wonder if flowers even look like that, or if the man was just being kind and indulging my childish fantasies."

"Believe me, as lovely as these flowers are, the real things are even better," said Ryosuke with a smile.

"Hey, since we're trapped inside with nothing to do, why don't we see what you can do, Misa," Sayu suggested.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Focus and try to make the flames stronger in the fireplace," said Sayu.

Misa took a deep breath and looked at the fire. She scrunched up her eyes in concentration and moved her hands around the flames like she was trying to bend ocean waves. Ryosuke and Sayu made a few suggestions, but for the most part remained silent so as not to break her concentration. For nearly a half hour she tried to manipulate the flames, but nothing happened.

"I'm trying as hard as I can, but I can't do it," she said with a sigh as she let her hands fall back in her lap.

"Why don't we try some airbending?" Ryosuke suggested. "Since that's your heritage, it might come easier. Fire is the opposite of water, that would make it more difficult for you to learn, especially on the first try."

They showed her some simple breathing exercises to start with. While this was going on, Sayu smelled something cooking, Song was preparing dinner. She was stirring a large pot over the fireplace. Whatever it was smelled very unappetizing, but she would eat it nonetheless to be polite. Song was letting them stay in her home, after all. As she stirred the pot, Song hummed a melody that Sayu recognized as an Air Nomad lullaby, sung to restless babies and frightened children. It brought a smile to her lips to hear it.

Misa did the breathing exercises, and then tried to make a small whirlwind in her hands, a simple move. She tried for over an hour, but got no results. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

"It might take longer to get a result, but I don't think I'm the one you're looking for," said Misa. She got over her frustration and didn't seem disappointed.

"It's time for dinner!" said Song cheerfully. "I made Misa's favorite, sea prunes."

They gathered in a circle and Song passed out bowls to everyone. After trying it, Sayu knew without any doubt that she did not like sea prunes. She caught Ryosuke's eye and he winced almost imperceptibly, then smiled. They made it through half their bowls, but they couldn't stomach any more than that. Song's husband returned home not long after.

That night, Ryosuke and Sayu slept near the fireplace in their sleeping bags. It was hard to get to sleep because they had never experienced such cold temperatures before. Not only that, but Sayu had a light headache. She pressed her fingers between her eyes, and the pressure helped relieve the pain. She curled up as tightly as possible and moved closer to Ryosuke. The heat from his body helped her keep warm, and next to him she was finally able to drift off.

The next morning, Sayu awoke and stepped outside the igloo. The storm had stopped and the sky was clear, with a few clouds dotting the sky. Aside from the extra snow covering everything, there was no sign that there had been a blizzard at all.

Sayu looked and saw Ryosuke having a snowball fight with a bunch of kids. They teamed up and jumped on him, and knocked him into the snow on his back. Sayu giggled at the sight of the kids wrestling him; his wisdom and power were misleading, he had never stopped being a kid.

They declined breakfast of leftover sea prunes and decided to move on to their next destination. They thanked Song and her husband, but as they were leaving, Misa ran to catch up with them and said, "I want to help you in your search for the avatar, if you'll have me. It's always been my dream to travel and see the world, this might be my only chance. Who knows, a waterbender might come in handy."

They hadn't really meant to pick up stragglers besides the avatar, Sayu wasn't sure how she felt about it. She looked to Ryosuke, who shrugged and said, "Sure, why not? "

"We're not a duo anymore, now we're a trio. Kiba loves making new friends," said Sayu.

"Who's Kiba?" Misa asked.

"You'll see," Sayu said with a grin.

They walked back to where they had landed yesterday. Kiba was still there, dozing contentedly. He woke up when he heard their approach. Misa's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"I can't believe you have your own sky bison!" she exclaimed as she petted his fur. "My mom told me about them, and I've always wanted to see one for myself. I was always too shy to ask the other airbenders if I could see their sky bisons, this is so great!" Kiba liked the attention and he licked her to show her she was welcome.

"So where are we going next?" Misa asked once they were all in the saddle.

"We're going to the Earth Kingdom," said Sayu. Misa's eyes lit up in an excitement, and that got Ryosuke and Sayu excited, as well.


	3. The Earth Kingdom

It took two days to get to the Earth Kingdom. They flew during the day, and at night Kiba floated in the water and they all slept. They were starting to run low on food, and they hoped that food in the Earth Kingdom was better than in the Water Tribes.

Everyone was excited when they spotted land in the distance. They followed the map until they found Makapu village, a small farming village next to a volcano.

"Look at the flowers!" said Misa eagerly after they climbed off Kiba's back. She rushed over to a little cluster of yellow flowers growing by the village. She sniffed them, then picked one and put it in her hair. "These flowers almost make me want to live out here, instead of at the South Pole."

Sayu picked one as well and put it in her hair. It reminded her of when she was younger, how she would make flower crowns for Kiba. The memory made her smile.

"Look out!" someone called. A ball came flying at them. Ryosuke jumped and kicked it back like he had been expecting it. A group of teenage earthbenders retrieved their ball, and one boy called out, "Thanks! Want to join our game? You can be on my team!"

Sayu didn't know the rules of this game, and it was designed for earthbenders, not airbenders. Even so, she was eager to join in and play, and Ryosuke and Misa seemed to feel the same. They ran and joined in the game, and none of the others seemed to object, even though they were foreigners here. Misa used her waterbending, and Ryosuke and Sayu used their airbending to play. The game was best suited to earthbenders, obviously, but they were still able to put up a fierce fight.

In the end, it came down to a draw, and so to break the tie, the two team captains arm-wrestled to decide the victors. The boy who invited them to join their game was a tiny, skinny thing, and he went up against a girl with broad shoulders and a huge physique. It didn't take long for a winner to be chosen.

"Rematch tomorrow!" the boy called out, rubbing his sore arm as the other team celebrated their victory. He turned to Sayu and grinned with a gap in his teeth, he looked to be around twelve. "Wow, for people who couldn't chuck a rock if their lives depended on it, you're pretty good at earthbending ball. I'm Chan, by the way."

Always the social butterfly, Ryosuke introduced all of them and told the boy about their mission. Just like with Misa, Chan showed a great deal of enthusiasm for the cause.

"So, you're going around to other nations to try to find the avatar? Sweet! Hey, my cousin's mom is from the Eastern Air Temple, you should go see him!"

"Will you take us to him?" Sayu asked.

"Sure, I was going to see him later anyway. Follow me!"

Chan took them to a shop selling fabric for clothing in the village marketplace. Sayu could hear music coming from inside.

"He's always playing his tsungi horn, he wants to be a professional musician," Chan told them.

"He sounds promising," said Misa.

"I guess, but he practices so much he doesn't have much time for the important things, like earthbending ball."

Chan took them inside to where his cousin was. He was sitting at a table, playing the tsungi horn with his eyes closed. He was just as lanky as Chan, if not more so. Eight dogs were sitting by his feet.

They waited until he finished his song, and when he did he opened his eyes and nearly fell out of his chair in surprise. "Chan! I told you not to bring people in when I'm practicing!"

"Don't blame me, you're the one who gets so into the music zone you nearly pass out like an old lady if anything startles you," Chan fired back.

He grumbled something under his breath, and Chan said, "He's Taro, since he rudely didn't introduce himself. Taro, this is Sayu, Ryosuke, and Misa. They're looking for the avatar."

"They're pretty far off, then. It's not in my horn, if that's where you wanted to look." Now that his eyes were open, Sayu could see that they were the brightest shade of green she'd ever seen.

"No, stupid! They're looking for people with airbender parents, and you've got one!" said Chan.

"I don't follow."

"The avatar hasn't been found in any of the air temples, and the only explanation we've got is that the avatar must be in one of the other nations," said Sayu. "Your parents are both airbenders-"

"Nope, just one."

"But we checked the Air Temple records, it says two airbenders came here and married," Sayu insisted.

"If both my parents were airbenders, could I do this?" Taro used earthbending to flick a pebble at Chan's face, hitting him right between the eyes.

"Ow! If you do that again, I'll make your horn a permanent part of the ground!" Chan yelled.

"Of course you could do that, if you're the avatar," said Sayu as she put her hands on her hips. "It's kind of in the avatar job description to bend more than one element."

Taro ignored her and went on to say, "My parents moved here four years before my birth. They split up two years later, and my mom remarried an earthbender, resulting in yours truly."

"You could still be the avatar," Misa pointed out.

He looked up at her with a smirk. "Did they test you too, sweetheart?"

She puffed up indignantly. "Yes, my mom is also an airbender. But I'm not the avatar."

"I think I'd know if I was," said Taro. "Then again, my mom discouraged all meditating and anything spiritual, she wanted to leave her culture behind completely, so that could, in theory, cause me to not tap into my spooky spirit powers."

"Try firebending!" said Chan eagerly. "See if you can do anything! Being the avatar would be so much cooler than being a dumb musician."

Taro shrugged. "All right, fine. I'll try some bending, see where I get. But it's probably just a waste of time. We'd better take this outside."

As they were going outside, Sayu felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest, it made breathing difficult. She doubled over as the pain spread throughout her entire body.

"Sayu!" said Ryosuke as he ran over to her side. "Sayu, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I think so," she said through her teeth. The pain slowly retreated, but her hands and legs felt tingly, like she might topple over at any moment. She was able to walk, but she felt weaker. "It's over now, I'm fine," Sayu said as she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Good," said Ryosuke as relief washed over his face. "I think you should still take it easy, though. Misa and I will practice with Taro, you sit down and watch."

"And let you have all the fun?" she asked teasingly.

"It was probably nothing, but I want to be sure. Just put up with my obnoxious motherly instincts for a little while, then you can show us all who's boss when it comes to bending."

Chan and Taro took them to an arena where children came to play sports and practice earthbending. Sayu did as Ryosuke asked, she sat on the sidelines as Misa showed Taro basic waterbending moves to try. Taro seemed to be only giving it half effort, until Misa egged him on and triggered his more competitive side, and their practice session turned into more of a battle. Ryosuke backed off during that and came to sit with Sayu.

"I think I might get my head knocked off if I stay in there. I'll go back in when it's safer."

"Are you saying you're a coward?" Sayu asked with a smirk.

"I'm a live coward."

They worked at it for hours, just as Misa had, and once again, nothing. Sayu hadn't expected it to be Taro, anyway. He didn't really strike her as the avatar type.

"I knew it would just be a waste of time," said Taro as they walked back to his house.

"I don't think it was. I now know that I can kick an earthbender's butt without even trying," said Misa, smirking at him.

Taro was about to come back with a retort, but just then Sayu saw that the whole town had gathered in the square. A man was standing on a tall platform giving news of some kind.

"We have just gotten word that the Black Lotus struck the Southern Water Tribe a few days ago," the man announced. "Many homes were destroyed and dozens were injured in the attack, but fortunately there were no casualties. The Black Lotus appears to be growing in strength, we must prepare defenses in case they come here."

"We were just in the Southern Water Tribe!" said Ryosuke in shock. "If we had only stayed a day or two longer, we could have helped them!"

"I feel terrible about it," said Sayu quietly. "I hope they'll be okay. Misa, I'm so sorry."

Misa looked shaken, her good mood had evaporated. "At least no one died, but still. They were spared, but the rest of the world might not be so lucky."

It was now dusk, and Chan said, "Stay with us for the night. We have one extra room, the girls can share it. Ryosuke can have Taro's room, and Taro can go sleep with the dogs outside." Taro just rolled his eyes at that.

Sayu and Misa took the spare room. There was only one bed, so they flipped a coin for it, and Sayu lost. Ryosuke would also be sleeping on the floor, since Taro refused to give up his bed, so at least they would get to share in their discomfort.

Sayu tossed and turned all night, but not because of the hard floor. The pain was back, and every breath was a struggle. She tried meditating to calm herself and she tried to soothe her breathing, and it helped a little, but not much. By morning, the pain had settled to a dull ache and she could breathe again, but she was exhausted.

"You look terrible," said Ryosuke after they were all up.

"Stop it Ryosuke, you're making me blush," she replied as she yawned.

"Are you ill?" he asked as he put a hand to her forehead. "You've never been sick in your whole life, you've never even had a cold. I was always the one getting sick."

"Maybe seventeen years of illness has finally caught up with me and is hitting me all at once. I feel lousy, but I'll be fine soon," she assured him.

A big, burly man with a bushy beard came into the kitchen. He smiled and said in a booming voice, "Hello there, I'm Taro's father, Shion. He told me all about you last night. I didn't come in until after you were all asleep." It was hard to believe that this giant of a man could produce a twig like Taro.

"Taro's mother is on a trip to an herbalist, she won't be back for several days," Taro's father continued. "Are you hungry? I'd love to make breakfast for everyone."

"We'd appreciate it," said Ryosuke. "Would you like some help?"

"No thanks, can't let you find out my secret recipe," he said with a wink. They all sat down as he got to work breaking eggs into a pot to cook over an oven.

While Shion cooked breakfast, he recounted countless stories about Taro, like how he wanted to grow up to be a sabre-tooth moose lion when he was five. He didn't seem to realize that his son might not want them to hear all this. Taro kept rolling his eyes to show that he didn't care, but the tips of his ears were tinged pink in embarrassment.

Shion served his guests breakfast of eggs and bread. The food was delicious, the best Sayu had eaten in days. It was even better with Shion, who seemed to always be happy and so it felt good to be around him. Somehow he and Taro were polar opposites. Being raised by Atasi, Sayu had never met her parents. Though she didn't miss them, she wondered if they would be as different as Shion and Taro, or if they would be the same. Perhaps it was better that they didn't know her. With abilities like hers, she doubted anyone would be proud to call her their daughter.

After breakfast, Shion asked, "So, how long do you plan to stay?"

"We'd love to stay longer, but we need to keep moving," Sayu said. "It's more important than ever that we find the avatar."

"That's a shame, we don't get enough company around here," said Shion.

"Maybe we can come back and visit you after our journey ends," said Ryosuke. "We don't have to go straight home to the temple, we can take our time, meet even more people."

"Would you mind if I stay with you, even after the avatar is found?" asked Misa. She blushed a little as she said, "I'd like to get away from the glaciers, just for a little while longer."

"I don't know if I want to spend that much time with a waterbender," said Ryosuke with mock pompousness. He laughed and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"What about you, Taro?" asked Misa. "Would you like to join us?"

Taro looked up from his plate with a disinterested frown and said, "How are you travelling?"

"Sky bison," Sayu replied.

"I'm not a fan of giant, reeking animals."

"Kiba doesn't stink!" Sayu yelled at him. "And besides, you're surrounded by mutts."

"Whatever, I think I'll stay right here," he said as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Are you crazy?" said Chan. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime! If you won't go, then I'll go in your place!"

"Not so fast, tiger monkey," said Shion. "You're too young."

"So what, twelve year olds can't do anything?" Chan demanded.

"No, but I don't think your mother would want you running off. Best to stay here and leave journeys across the world to when you're older," said Shion as he patted his head. Chan folded his arms in a pouty gesture.

"You sure you won't come, Taro?" asked Ryosuke.

"Despite my obvious excitement, I think I'll pass," said Taro flippantly.

"That's Taro for you, heaven forbid he ever have any fun," said Shion as he pulled Taro in and gave him a noogie.

After breakfast, they gathered their belongings and packed Kiba. The problem was, they needed more food but they had no money.

"We can't go on without food," said Misa. "We might end up eating someone on our way to the Fire Nation."

"We could ask Shion for some food," Sayu suggested. "Not much, just enough to hold us over for a few days."

"Not for free, we need to do something in return," said Ryosuke.

They went back to the fabric shop, where they could hear Taro playing the tsungi horn again from inside. They found Shion outside.

"Shion, is there anything we can do for you in exchange for food?" asked Ryosuke.

"You don't have to do anything, it's the neighborly thing to do to share with travelers."

"You already have shared with us," said Misa. "But now we need to pay you for more."

"Well, if you really want to, my roof is leaky and it's going to rain soon, you could patch it up for me."

He was right, clouds were moving in, and Sayu could smell rain on the air. Ryosuke smiled and said, "I've never patched a roof before, but when we're done, you'll have the best roof in the Earth Kingdom."

Shion brought them tools and supplies, and he set up a ladder, but Ryosuke and Sayu didn't need it. As she was about to use airbending to leap onto the roof, Ryosuke stopped her. "You shouldn't be working hard, not in your condition."

"I'm feeling much better, and besides, you'll probably wreck the roof. We need to have at least one person up there who knows what she's doing," she said with a smirk.

He relaxed and said, "Okay, but if you so much as sneeze I'm firing you."

They got straight to work. It turned out that none of them knew how to fix a roof. Misa could fix a hole in an igloo, but not in a wooden house. It started to rain, but Misa used her waterbending to block the rain and keep them and the roof dry while they worked. As Sayu worked, she felt very poorly and she knew she needed to stop, but she had to prove her point to Ryosuke, otherwise he'd treat her like an invalid for the rest of the trip.

It took several hours, but they eventually managed to get the roof in stable condition. It wasn't pretty, but when Misa let the rain fall, Shion reported no leaks inside.

"Thank you so much for your help, I think the roof looks better than ever," said Shion. He handed Sayu a pack full of bread, cheese, and fruit. "Though I think you should stick to avatar hunting."

Shion insisted on hugging all of them before they left, and his hug left Sayu feeling like she'd had her insides squeezed out. They went back to Kiba, but when they climbed his tail, they found none other than Taro sitting in the saddle.

"What are you doing here, Taro?" Sayu asked. It occurred to her that the tsungi horn had stopped playing while they were working, but she hadn't realized it until now.

"You invited me along, so I'm coming," he said, his tone completely disillusioned with everything.

"You said you weren't coming," said Misa as she crossed her arms.

"I say a lot of things. Are we going or not? The Fire Nation won't wait for us forever."

Sayu and Ryosuke exchanged glances. Ryosuke shrugged, Misa shook her head in exasperation, and Sayu sighed, "All right, let's get going before Taro changes his mind again. Kiba, yip yip!"

Seeing the look of shock and horror on Taro's face as they took off into the air was very satisfying for Sayu. Judging by the other's expressions, they felt the same way. Taro quickly rearranged his expression back to complete and utter boredom.

"What's the Fire Nation like?" asked Misa curiously.

"I always imagined it to be one big volcano, but I doubt that's actually it," Sayu replied.

"I hope we see dragons, I've always wanted to see one in real life," said Misa eagerly.

"If the avatar is in the Fire Nation, maybe they'll have one as a pet," said Ryosuke.

"Our search in the Fire Nation won't be so easy, though," said Sayu. "The records didn't say where the airbenders went when they moved there, we'll have to search several villages. But at least this time we know the person we're looking for is a girl, so that'll make things a little simpler."

"The real question here is, what are you going to do if the avatar isn't in the Fire Nation?" asked Taro.

They were all quiet for a long moment until Ryosuke said, "Keep looking. Whether we find them or someone else does, we won't go home until the avatar is found."


	4. The Fire Nation

Sayu woke to someone shaking her.

"Sayu! Sayu wake up!" Ryosuke pleaded.

Her lungs were burning, but she didn't know why. She tried to breathe, but there was something on top of her chest, preventing her lungs from moving. She thought it was a boulder.

"Get that rock off my chest!" Sayu tried to shout, but it came out a weak mumble.

"Sayu, there's nothing on your chest! You have to breathe!"

Sayu started coughing, and it turned into a coughing fit. "Turn her over onto her side!" said Misa, and she felt two pairs of hands turn her over. She started coughing up blood and her vision blurred. The blood stopped, and with a great deal of effort, she was able to draw in a small breath, then another. After three agonizing breaths, Sayu was able to breathe normally, but the weight was still there. She opened her eyes, and saw millions of stars looking back at her.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"It was my turn to fly Kiba, you were sleeping," said Ryosuke, looking distraught. "I just happened to look back at you, and you were turning blue, you weren't breathing. Oh Sayu, you really are sick, there's no denying it now. You might even be…" he refused to say it out loud.

"Lie still, Sayu," said Misa. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were full of concern. She took some water from the pouch hanging at her side and used it to try to heal her. It felt strange, she could feel the water at work. It felt tingly and invigorating, but it did nothing to heal her symptoms.

"It's not working," said Misa after she gave up a few seconds later. "I can feel what's doing this to you, but it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's very strong and powerful, it felt _alive_."

"How can it be alive?" asked Ryosuke. "We should take you to another healer, or to one of the air temples."

"No," said Sayu as she latched onto his wrist with her weak fingers. "We swore we wouldn't stop until the mission is complete. We have to keep going."

"No, not if it puts your life at stake," Ryosuke argued.

"Might I suggest something?" asked Taro. Sayu had forgotten he was there. "My mother, though she tried so hard to sever her ties with her culture, couldn't sever all of them. She was still spiritual in some matters. There was once a man in our village who was very sick, and no one could cure him no matter what they did, they tried everything. My mom said that it was because the conflict came from within, he was at war with himself, and it was eating him alive from the inside like a disease. Once he was able to deal with the turmoil and strife, he recovered completely."

"What are you getting at, Taro?" asked Ryosuke.

"Maybe Sayu is the avatar, but she's been unknowingly suppressing it. The avatar spirit won't be contained forever."

"What? That's impossible, I can't be the avatar," Sayu replied. "I failed the test, and I'm a terrible bender."

"It is a possibility," Misa mused.

"If anyone here is the avatar, it's got to be Ryosuke," said Sayu.

"I failed the test, too. Besides, if either of us was the avatar, Sifu Atasi or one of the monks would have realized it years ago."

"It probably is the kid in the Fire Nation, but in case it isn't, I would give it a lot of hard thinking," said Taro.

It was hilarious to Sayu that anyone could think she was the avatar. Sayu, who could barely make a summer breeze. Sayu, who was always late and messing things up. Sayu, who couldn't get her own life together, let alone the entire world.

But then there was Ryosuke, who was everything the avatar should be, Sayu believed. Smart, strong, powerful, who could probably make a hurricane to destroy the entire Earth Kingdom if he wanted. Not to mention, he had the most important qualities the avatar should possess: he was spiritual, friendly, and able to make peace between anyone. He could probably talk the sky into keeping storms away. There was never a single person who didn't like him, he'd be the perfect avatar, but he would never believe it. But if either of them was the avatar, it would mean the test was not infallible. The monks wouldn't be happy to hear that.

For the rest of the night Sayu couldn't sleep, because at least one person now had to watch her at all times to make sure she didn't stop breathing again. It was unnerving, knowing she was being watched, even if it was for her own good.

It was several days before they reached the shores of the Fire Nation. Sayu was having trouble standing, so Ryosuke let her hang onto his arm as they walked.

This time, it took them longer to find who they were looking for. They had to go through many villages asking people if they knew the air nomad who moved here. Instead of getting answers on the airbender, they heard more news about the Black Lotus. They struck in the Earth Kingdom, in the village they had been in and many surrounding villages.

"Why does this keep happening?" asked Ryosuke one night. They were in a small cave by a campfire. They had just eaten dinner, but after what they'd heard, no one wanted to sleep. Sayu watched the shadows flickering on the walls.

"What does the Black Lotus even want?" Sayu asked quietly.

"Has anyone else noticed the suspicious pattern about their attacks?" asked Taro as he gazed into the dwindling fire. "They attack in the places you've recently been, they're following us."

"Why?" asked Misa, but then she answered her own question. "They don't want us to find the avatar, which means we must be closer than we thought. But that also means that they'll attack here next. Maybe we should stop, so no one else gets hurt."

"We can't stop, we have to keep going," said Sayu.

"Sayu's right," said Taro. "The other nations are starting to panic, they're under siege and there's no avatar to stop it. They all think that the Air Nomads are hiding the avatar and they're going to declare war on them soon if the avatar isn't found."

"We can't let that happen, I won't see my home destroyed," said Ryosuke with determination.

"Hey Ryosuke, do you think we could talk for a minute, just us?" Sayu asked.

He nodded, and the two walked out of the cave. By the cave there were a few trees, and they sat underneath them to talk.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ryosuke asked.

"Taro thinking I might be the avatar has got me thinking about what it would be like," said Sayu as she felt the leaves hanging on a low branch. "I bet it would be very stressful, having all that weight on your shoulders. I don't know how anyone could handle that. Could you handle that?"

"I never thought about it that way, really. Yeah, I can't imagine what it would be like. I'd probably do a bad job of it at first, but hopefully I'd learn and be able to do something right. I figure it must have been hard for all the past avatars, but they all survived and made it through, and if they could do it, so can anyone else."

"There was another thing I was wondering about. Do you think there have ever been any avatars that outright rejected the job? What if they decided they didn't want to deal with all that?"

"I figure we would have heard about it if they did. I can't say I would blame them if they did, but with everyone counting on them… I don't know, I just couldn't ignore that. Could you?"

"Of course not, of course I would help, I'm just thinking. You know Ryosuke, as much as I wanted to be the avatar when I was a kid, I'm really glad I'm not."

"Your view on the whole thing is pretty bleak, I'm sure it's not all bad. The avatar brings peace and joy to the world and helps everyone, and I'm sure they have plenty of people to back them up and be there for them when they need it. The good must outweigh the bad."

"I hope you're right," Sayu replied softly.

Two days later, they finally made some progress in their search. They were given directions to a city where the airbender was supposed to be.

"But the airbender isn't alive anymore, he died years ago," said the butcher, who was the one giving them the directions. "I heard he had a kid though, but it's being kept in the madhouse."

"Why is she being kept in an asylum?" Sayu asked.

The butcher shrugged. "Delusions, that's what I heard."

Sayu and Ryosuke exchanged concerned glances. If the avatar was insane, what would that mean for everyone else? Whatever the reason she was in there, it couldn't be good.

They followed his directions to a mental health facility. Sayu had heard of asylums like this, where people who were mentally ill were taken away to be cured, or at least kept away from society where they couldn't bother anyone. The place they were taken to seemed nicer than what she expected. It was bright and colorful, and the patients seemed to be well taken care of. They were brought to a room with many people in it playing games, writing or drawing, or just talking to each other.

"The airbender's kid is over there, at that table," said a healer as she pointed to a boy with wild black hair. His eyes were big and round, and there were dark circles under them from lack of sleep. He was alone playing Pai Sho with himself.

"There must be some mistake, we were under the impression that we were looking for a girl," said Ryosuke.

"Nope, it's a boy," said the healer dismissively. She turned and walked away.

They walked to table. He didn't look up, but he moved a piece and said, "I've got visitors, no one ever comes to visit me." Was he talking to them? It didn't seem like it, but there was no one else around for him to talk to.

"Hi," said Ryosuke. "Mind if we sit down?"

"Sure," he replied with a shrug. Sayu started to sit down in the chair across from him, but he nearly shouted, "You can't sit there! Niiya is sitting there!"

Sayu jumped out of the chair in surprise. There was clearly no one there, but this seemed important to him, so she didn't sit there again. They brought over empty chairs from other tables and sat down.

"Sorry about that, Niiya," he said. "Some people have no manners."

So apparently Niiya was this guys's imaginary friend. Wonderful.

"What's your name?" asked Misa.

"Li," he replied as he gazed at his hands on the table. He spoke with a quiet voice, it was easy to miss what he was saying.

"Li, we've come here in search of the avatar," said Ryosuke. "We can't find the avatar in any of the air temples, so we think someone might have taken the avatar as a child into one of the other nations. In our records, we saw that an airbender took his daughter and left the temple to come to the Fire Nation. They said he was your father. What happened to him and his daughter?"

"He came here because his wife died in childbirth, he wanted to forget all about her. He brought my sister here to start over. He remarried within a month of coming here, but she died in childbirth, as well. After losing two wives, my father left and never came back, so my sister and I grew up in an orphanage, we stayed until we were six. Then the orphanage burned down so we had to live on the streets. It was just me and my sister living on our own, until she died, as well. Now it's just me and Niiya."

"We think you might possibly be the avatar," said Ryosuke. "It's a long shot, but we have to try. Can you bend any other elements?"

"No."

"Why don't you try-"

"No. I'm not the avatar, you're looking in the wrong place."

Sayu looked to Ryosuke, who seemed unsure of what they should do now. Taro spoke up and said, "That's it, isn't it?"

"What's it?" asked Misa.

"Li just solved the mystery for us. Don't you see? His sister must have been the avatar. His father ran away with her because he figured it out and didn't want to lose her, he tried to hide her. Li, how did she die? How old was she?"

"She died of an illness when she was ten," he said morosely.

"She died, and the new avatar was born into the next element in the cycle," said Taro. "You should have stayed in the Southern Water Tribe, or gone onto the Northern one, because that's where the avatar is. No one's realized it because no one there is looking."

"Could that really be possible?" asked Misa doubtfully.

"You got any better explanation?" asked Taro.

"No, but still."

"What do we do now?" Sayu asked. Suddenly, her head whipped back, and she could no longer see or hear. She lost awareness of everything around her, it was like falling asleep, but with terrible pain. When she awoke, her senses came back to her one at a time. Her eyes opened, and she saw Ryosuke kneeling over her, looking worried and miserable. She also saw Misa trying to heal her again, and Li waving fire over her, like he was trying to heal her, as well. Next, she became aware of the floor underneath her, how hard and cold it was. Then she got her hearing back, and she could hear many startled voices chattering near them, wondering what was wrong with her and if she would be okay.

"It's getting worse," said Misa as she shook her head sadly.

"There's something very wrong with your spiritual energy," Li mumbled. "Your spirit is at war with itself, it's tearing itself apart. If you don't resolve the strife within you, you'll be dead in a matter of days." Sayu realized that he must be very knowledgeable in spirit matters to be able to sense that.

"No!" cried Ryosuke. "How can this be happening? Sayu, do you have any idea what could be causing this, any at all?" He looked pleadingly to the others. "Isn't there anything we can do? We have to save her!"

"I would say we should bring her to the spirit oasis in the Northern Water Tribe, or to one of your temples for healing, but it would take too long," said Misa as she ran her fingers through her hair. "We could make it, but I doubt she would survive the trip."

"You don't have to go that far, Niiya and I know of another place," said Li. "There are spirit waters in the Fire Nation, in the Bhanti Village Temple. The Fire Sages convene there, they can help us."

"Can you show us the way?" Sayu asked weakly.

He thought it over for a minute and asked Niiya what she thought. In the end, he said, "All right, I will."

"Are they really just going to let you leave?" Taro asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, I'm here voluntarily," Li responded simply.

"Why do you want to be here?" asked Misa.

"The world's not so loud in here," he replied softly.

Sayu tried to stand, but her legs weren't responding. It was like someone had cut them off. "I can't feel my legs."

Ryosuke scooped her up and carried her. "You're light as a feather," he commented. He tried to smile, but he couldn't do it.

Li told a doctor what he was doing, and she wished him a good day and let him go. They followed him out and began the trek to Kiba so he could fly them to the Bhanti Village Temple. Along the way, Li continued carrying on conversations with Niiya. Sayu tuned it out, it didn't matter to her what he did as long as he could help her.

Along the way, Ryosuke said, "If you're right about the avatar having already been reborn Taro, then this whole trip feels pretty pointless. I hope someone discovers the new one soon. I'm so tired of all this avatar business."

"It wasn't pointless, you got some new friends out of the deal," said Misa in an attempt to encourage him.

Li didn't seem perturbed by flying on Kiba's back, he hardly seemed to notice it at all. Sayu laid down on her back in the saddle, and Ryosuke held the reins. As they were flying, Sayu noticed black smoke filling the sky.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I think there's a fire," said Misa.

"Fire in the Fire Nation, who saw that coming?" said Taro sarcastically.

"No wait, look!" said Misa.

Sayu managed to pull herself up to see what everyone else was seeing. Several homes were engulfed in flames, and many more were about to join them. People were frantically filling water in buckets and trying to put out the fire.

Without a word, Ryosuke swooped down and landed Kiba. He and the others immediately went to the people's aid. Misa bended the water from their buckets and from the well they were using and dowsed the flames, but that only took out about half the fire. Taro used earthbending to smother the flames, and together, with the help of the villagers, they put out the fire before it could spread much farther. But then it all got worse.

A large group of men and women came in shooting flames. They were all dressed in black and wearing masks to cover their faces. They set more houses ablaze and ransacked people's homes and markets. People ran screaming through the streets as total anarchy broke out. Everyone was fighting each other, it was hard to tell who was who.

"The Black Lotus," said Ryosuke angrily. "Let's get out of here!"

"We need to fight them!" said Misa.

"I can't risk Sayu!" he cried.

"They need you more right now!" Misa fired back.

Ryosuke looked conflicted, but he nodded and stayed where he was.

Sayu could see the assault from Kiba's saddle. Ryosuke was trying to stop the fighting without doing too much damage to either side. She could see the stress and determination on his face, he was trying to end this as fast as he could so he could get back to her.

Sayu could also see the others fighting. Misa's movements were graceful and agile, like a rushing river. She watched her take out a man twice her size like he was nothing. Taro was stronger than he looked, he threw rocks that could have squished him like a bug. Even in battle, he still looked bored. Li, she noticed, wasn't looking at any of his opponents directly, he kept looking behind them. Sayu wondered what he was seeing. With a mind like his, it could be anything.

All four of them were amazing fighters, masters of their element. If only Sayu could fight like them. If she were out there fighting, she would just slow everyone down, or get herself captured, and then they would have to rescue her. As it was, Ryosuke was having to carry her around like a child. He thought she was a late bloomer, but it seemed this bud was never meant to open.

The fight didn't last much longer, and the Black Lotus retreated. The others came back, all looking tired from the fight. They had some burns, and Misa got straight to work healing them. It might have been her imagination, but Sayu thought she saw Taro give Misa a grateful look for a second while she healed the burns on his arm and collarbone.

Sayu could tell Ryosuke was not happy with himself for leaving her and for fighting. He always hated fighting of any kind, and now he was being forced to. When he climbed into the saddle to get her, she cupped his cheek with her hand and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied. He carried her down onto the ground.

"The Black Lotus has caught up with us," said Taro as Misa healed a burn on Li's leg. "If that wasn't obvious."

"We need to get Sayu to the spirit waters, then we'll focus on the Black Lotus," said Ryosuke.

"I think there's more to the Black Lotus than meets the eye," said Misa. "Something doesn't seem right about all this."

"There's always something hidden underneath, and if you don't dig it up yourself, it'll show itself eventually. Nothing stays hidden forever," said Li in barely above a whisper.

"It's going to get dark soon, let's make camp and rest for the night," said Misa.

Sayu could tell Ryosuke wanted to argue, but he said nothing. They set up camp outside the village, and Li went into town and brought back dinner.

"It's Komodo chicken, Niiya's favorite," said Li. He held out sticks with cooked meat on them.

"Sorry, but we don't eat meat," said Ryosuke.

"You don't eat meat?" said Li, sounding just a tiny but confused.

"It's the Fire Nation, I don't think they have any concept of veggies," said Taro.

"I bought a couple cabbages for your bison, you can have some of that," Li offered. He held out the cabbages, and Ryosuke thanked him and took a couple pieces. He offered one to Sayu, but she had no appetite. She could tell he didn't have much of one, either.

Once again that night, Sayu couldn't sleep, her mind was wide awake even though her body craved rest. Kiba seemed to sense her discomfort and moved to lie beside her. She raised a shaky hand and stroked his soft fur.

"Hey buddy," she whispered. "You can't sleep either, huh? Just one more good night's sleep, that's what I really want right now. I don't think I'm going to be here much longer, and I'm going to miss you so much."

Kiba let out a sad moan, and she said, "I won't give up, but I think my time is almost up. Promise you'll take care of Ryosuke for me, he's really going to need you. But until then, you'll stay with me, right?"

He nuzzled her with his nose, and she said, "Like I had to ask. I know you'll always be there for me, and I'll be here for you as long as I can."

She looked down and saw Ryosuke tossing and turning in his sleep. She reached out and took his hand, and he calmed a little and seemed to rest easier. Sayu didn't get any sleep that night, but she took comfort in being with the two people she loved most in the world.


	5. The Quest for Healing

The next morning, Sayu was worse again. She was running a high fever, and she couldn't keep any food down. Her head felt like it was splitting down the middle, and her whole body ached. There was no 'least painful position' there was no way to relieve her agony. Ryosuke refused to move on until she recovered enough to travel safely, so they stayed in that one spot for two more days.

This caused the others to grow restless. Taro and Misa spent a lot of time arguing with each other. Li would go off by himself for hours at a time, but when he was around, he hardly spoke a word to anyone, preferring to speak to Niiya. This got on everyone's nerves.

One night, while Sayu was shaking in the grass and Ryosuke was trying to help her eat a bowl of soup, Li spoke to Niiya once again. "I can't decide which flowers are prettier, the ones by the waterfall or the ones in the meadow. What do you think, Niiya?"

"Oh, would you just shut up about Niiya?" asked Taro irritably. "Can't you see there's nothing there? We should have left you in the nuthouse, it's the only place for people like you."

Li looked down, and Sayu saw a flash of sadness in his eyes. "She is there."

"Give me proof, then," said Taro as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Leave him alone, Taro," said Misa. "We're all tired, there's no need to take it out on the others."

"Just because you can't see her doesn't mean she's not there," Li insisted.

"Psycho," Taro muttered.

Li didn't even try to defend himself. He whispered something to Niiya and then laid down, but didn't sleep.

Ryosuke startled Sayu when he suddenly lifted her off the ground where she was lying. He carried her away from camp and over to a small lake nearby. The water reflected the full moon, and she heard a wolf howling nearby.

"Why did you bring me here?" Sayu asked.

He set her down by a tree so she could lean against it and sit up. "I needed to get away for a while."

He didn't continue, so she said, "What are you thinking about?"

He bit his lip and said, "What am I going to do if…"

"If we don't find the avatar?"

"If I lose you." He looked her in the eye, and she could see tears glistening in them.

"Find a new best friend," she replied jokingly.

"I'm serious. I don't want to scare you, but… are you scared?"

"Of course I am. My body and spirit are fighting each other, and in something like this, it probably doesn't matter who wins in the end. But I'll be all right, I promise."

"Sayu, we've been friends for so long. But do you think we could have… become more than friends?"

"You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

He nodded. "It sounds so silly to say it," he said with a little smile. "Do you remember when we were kids, how we swore we'd never marry anyone?"

"We said we'd live in the clouds," she reminisced.

"And when we were a little older, we kissed on a dare. It was so gross."

"I washed my mouth out with soap," she said, grinning.

"But then when we were thirteen, one day we were practicing our airbending forms, and I noticed for the first time that you were actually kinda pretty. It was really confusing, but at some point I realized that I love you. I mean, I've always loved you, but now that love has changed."

"You haven't always loved me, we used to hate each other, remember?" she asked, grinning.

"I know, but after that. It's taken me until now to admit it, and it may be too late. If the spirit water doesn't help… you can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. Do you know how much that hurts?"

"You'll be okay," she said as she cupped his cheek in her hand like she had before. "You'll be one of the greatest airbenders of all time. And when they find the avatar, maybe you'll teach them airbending. You'll find someone else to fall in love with."

"Without you there, my life will be hollow."

"Who knows, maybe the spirit water will heal me. Don't count me out just yet, Ryosuke."

"You've always been full of surprises, Sayu." He took one of her hands and held it with both of his. The heat of his hands felt so good against her frozen fingers. "Give me a miracle, Sayu. Just one miracle."

They moved in closer, and her lips met his. Ryosuke kissed her gently, like she was a rose that might wilt if he wasn't careful. It was her first real kiss.

"I should have kissed you sooner," whispered Ryosuke. "I shouldn't have waited so long. What was I waiting for, anyway?"

"Don't wait anymore," she said as she kissed him again. "Ryosuke, will you always love me?"

"Of course I will."

"What if something were to happen, something that makes you not love me anymore."

"That could never happen. Why do you ask?"

"I just needed to know." She kissed him one more time. Her eyes started to close against her will, she couldn't keep them open. She was so weak, she felt so helpless.

"Sayu?" said Ryosuke, concerned. He took her in his arms and laid down with her. He held her close, and his warmth and heartbeat were comforting. He began to speak, talking about his dreams like they were destined to be reality. "After this is all over, we'll complete our training. We'll teach others airbending, and we'll travel across the globe and see everything there is to see. Maybe someday we'll even get married."

"And we'll live happily ever after, like in the old stories?" Sayu mumbled sleepily.

"Even better," he said as he kissed her forehead, where her arrow should have been.

They stayed there all night, sleeping in each other's embrace. Daybreak came too soon, and they couldn't postpone leaving any longer. Ryosuke carried Sayu back to camp, where the others had already packed everything up and were ready to go. They flew on Kiba's back following Li's directions. It took half the day to reach the temple. When she saw it, Sayu marveled at its sacred beauty. It was different than the temples she was used to seeing.

They left Kiba outside and went to the door and knocked. An old man with a long nose in red robes opened the door and said, "Yes?"

"We're sorry to bother you, but my friend is very sick, and we believe that only the spirit waters here can heal her," said Ryosuke.

The sage stroked his long gray beard. "This is a sacred place, not just anyone can come in here."

"She needs help desperately! She might be dying!" Ryosuke pleaded. "This is the only hope for her."

The sage pointed his long nose down at her and said, "Hmm, very well, you may enter. But you will not stay any longer than is necessary. And you should know, the waters don't heal everyone. Your friend may still die."

Ryosuke bowed and said, "Thank you."

The fire sage let them come inside. There were several other sages who glanced at them but said nothing and went about their duties. The sage led them through the temple to an underground cavern. Sayu could see a hole in the cavern, and in it was the spirit water Li had told them about.

"Put her in this," said the sage, pointing to a contraption hanging over the hole. It was a net that they would lower down into the water. Ryosuke did as he said without question and gently placed her in the net. Sayu was still laboring for breath, and just staying awake felt like a challenge. Before they lowered her down, the others spoke to her.

"I hope this works," said Misa with an encouraging smile. "I've only known you for a few days, but I already think of you as a good friend, not just a travelling companion."

"I feel the same about you," Sayu replied as she returned her smile.

Taro came next. He clearly wasn't comfortable here, and comforting people on their sick bed probably didn't interest him much. "Good luck down there, try not to die."

"I'll do my best."

Li came last, he wouldn't look at her. "Call to the spirits, ask for their help. They're the only ones that can help you now. Niiya will watch over you in the water, we both want you to be okay."

"Thanks, Li."

Ryosuke kissed her hand and said, "You're going to be just fine."

"See you on the other side," she said as they lowered her down into the water. It was warm and it felt wonderful, but she still felt cold. The water reminded her of Misa's healing, but this was a hundred times stronger. At first, nothing happened, but then she heard a voice call her name.

"_Sayu…"_

Up above, the others waited to see what would happen.

"How long is this supposed to take?" Ryosuke asked anxiously.

"Sometimes minutes, sometimes days. Give it time," said the sage.

"We might as well sit down," said Misa. Ryosuke reluctantly gave in and sat with them, even though he didn't want to, as if Sayu might not be healed if he relaxed even a little.

"So, you two have been friends since you were kids, right?" asked Misa.

"Yeah, but not at first. We started out as enemies, and because of the dumbest thing, too. Apples."

"Care to share with the class?" said Misa. "Talking about it will take your mind off what we're doing."

Thinking about Sayu in her current state was painful, but reminiscing on his past with her eased the ache in his chest. "The people back at the Air Temple will tell you I was talking ever since I left the womb, and they're probably right. I've always loved making friends, but Sayu and I got off on the wrong foot. I was four, and I was going to visit my baby sky bison. I found some apples in a sack on the ground, and without thinking I took them to feed to her. Turns out that Sayu had picked them, and she thought I was a thief. We argued over it, and that argument led to two years of hostility between us that involved name calling and pranks, we even came close to throwing punches a few times. The elders made us train together when we turned six to try to force us to act civilly towards each other, but it didn't work until our teacher got fed up with our constant arguing and locked us in a closet together until we could settle our differences. We were so angry at first, but after a while, we finally made up."

Ryosuke recalled what went on between them in the tiny space, with their only light being a small candle. After two hours together, when the candle was beginning to fade, Sayu had broken the silence at last. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you. They were just apples, I could have picked more."

Ryosuke had replied, "I should have apologized. Even if it was a mistake, an apology would have ended things a lot quicker."

They were silent a while longer, they both felt quite foolish for their actions.

"We are so stupid," said Ryosuke. "All this fighting for two whole years, and for what? A dumb sack of apples. We should have at least found something intelligent to hate each other over."

"I had a good reason. Your face is stupid," Sayu had replied, but with a smile.

Ryosuke had smiled back and said, "So's yours. How about we agree that our faces are both stupid and start over. Hi, I'm Ryosuke, and my face is stupid."

Sayu replied, "Hello Ryosuke, I'm Sayu, and my face is even stupider than yours."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

Neither one had spoken anymore after that. Once the candle flickered out, Atasi let them out and they had a talk about what they learned. After that day, in their training sessions they kept quiet, unless they were spoken to by their master. They barely acknowledged the other's presence at all, save for brief glances every now and again.

A week after their truce, Ryosuke had gone to visit his sky bison, Lily, who had grown considerably in the last two years. At that time she had grown to half the size of a tree. He had found Sayu with Kiba. Kiba was lying on his side, and she was leaning against him with her eyes closed, running her fingers through his soft fur.

He knew she would be here, and he dropped something at her feet. She opened her eyes and said, "You're giving me a sack of apples?"

"Repaying my debt," he said simply. He turned to go, but Sayu held the sack up to him. She held half the apples in her lap, and the rest were still in the bag.

"I don't mind sharing, if you ask first," she said with a half-smile.

"Could I have some apples, please?" he asked.

"Only if they all go to Lily."

Ryosuke took the apples and fed them all to his bison. As he did, it occurred to him that maybe Sayu wasn't as bad as he thought, and maybe they could be friends.

The very next night, Ryosuke heard a knock at his door while he was trying to sleep. Groggily, he opened the door while he rubbing his eyes. "Sayu?"

"Sorry to wake you, but I had a nightmare, and… could I stay with you?" She was wringing her hands, and she looked at him pleadingly.

Ryosuke briefly considered turning her down, but if they were going to try to be friends, he had to do his part. "Okay, come in."

"Thanks," she said quietly.

He yawned and said, "How often do you have nightmares?"

"Every night," she replied.

"That's awful. What are they about?"

Sayu shook her head and said nothing. Ryosuke was curious, but didn't ask again. Sayu laid down in his bed, and he laid down next to her. They didn't touch, though they did fight over the blanket.

"This will be the only time," Sayu had said.

"Of course," Ryosuke replied.

But it wasn't the only time. Nearly every night after that they shared the bed, despite having once been worst enemies. They both savored the warmth and closeness, and they were never caught, though there were some close calls. That was how they became best friends who would do anything for each other.

Back in the present day, Ryosuke said, "Funny how the people who we start out hating sometimes become the people who mean the most to us."

In an attempt to change the subject, Misa said, "You know, I've always been a little envious of you airbenders."

"Why's that?" Ryosuke asked.

"Maybe it's the Air Nomad in me from my mom's side, but I've always longed for adventure. My mom told me stories of when she was younger, before she moved to the Southern Water Tribe. She told me about when she used to soar through the sky on her glider, and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to feel the wind blowing my hair back, I wanted to fly through a cloud to see what it felt like. I wanted to fly up close to the moon and the stars. Every night when I was five years old, I would take her air glider and try to fly, even after I found out I was a waterbender. I've always been stubborn like that. I would climb on a box or a snowdrift and jump off, but every time I fell on my face in the snow. The other kids used to tease me for it, but I ignored them.

"One day I got so desperate I jumped off the roof of my house and broke my arm. My mom came out and I told her about wanting to fly, until then I'd kept it secret from her. I told her I didn't want to be a waterbender, I wanted to be an airbender like her."

"What did she tell you?" Ryosuke asked.

"She reminded me of the things I can do that she can't. She showed me that I didn't need to fly, that I could do whatever I wanted regardless of my abilities. She helped me learn to be proud of being a waterbender, and I stopped wanting to be an airbender. I still wanted to fly though, and you and Sayu finally made that dream a reality. I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're welcome," said Ryosuke, the ghost of a smile flickering across his face. "I take flying for granted, sometimes I forget that the real world exists. I have to remind myself to come down, and if I didn't I would never make friends like you."

"I used to have friends," said Li quietly. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, and he looked down into the spirit water below. "I used to have lots of friends, we'd play together every day. I used to be as normal and ordinary as anyone. I lived with my sister on the streets, but our friends would bring us scraps of food from their houses so we didn't have to steal. I thought of them all as my best friend.

"But when Niiya showed up, they started acting differently. When I first started talking to her, they thought I was making her up as a joke. Everyone thought it was funny at first and humored me, but after a while they wanted it to stop, but it didn't. Adults would yell at me and tell me there was nothing there, no one would listen to me."

"Why didn't you just stop talking to her, then?" asked Taro. "Seems like you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by just keeping your mouth shut."

"I know the things people say about me, I know everyone thinks I'm crazy, including all of you. You're letting me stick around for now because I'm useful, but once this is all over and Sayu is healed or not, you'll send me back to where you found me. By the time I realized that I should stop telling people about her, there was no one left, my friends were all gone by then. I talk to Niiya because she's the only one who hasn't left me, she's all I have."

Ryosuke pitied him. He didn't want to lie to him, but he didn't want to see him go back to the asylum either. "Maybe you won't have to go back to the asylum, maybe you can stay with us."

Li didn't comment on that, and Ryosuke could tell he didn't believe him. Li said, "You love Sayu a lot, don't you? I like to think my father looked at my mother the same way you look at her."

"I do, I love her so much. I can't imagine going on without her."

"She'll be okay," said Misa.

"Lying won't save her," said Taro.

Misa turned to glare at him. "What is wrong with you? His best friend may be dying, and you can't offer up any sincere words of encouragement or sympathy. Maybe we should send you into the spirit waters, the spirits can tell us why you were born without a soul!"

Taro looked surprised that she had stood up to him like that. Misa's face was red in anger and she turned away. Taro was speechless for a minute, then said, "If we're pouring our hearts out to each other, I guess I might as well take my turn. I've never gotten along with people, I prefer my dogs over most people. My first dog was killed in an accident, I loved her more than anything. Ever since then I've taken in every stray that's come by my house, I much prefer the sounds of my tsungi horn and dogs barking to people talking. But I shouldn't be such a jerk about it." Softly, so quiet that he almost missed it, Taro said, "I'm sorry, Ryosuke. I hope Sayu will come out of this okay, I know how much you care about her, and how much she cares about you."

"Thanks, Taro," Ryosuke replied genuinely.

"Niiya's worried about Sayu, as well" Li spoke up then.

"Of course she is, we all are," Ryosuke replied. It was easier to just go along with Li's delusions than to argue.

"No, this is worse. She's fighting someone, someone very powerful. The only way she can win is to lose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Taro.

"She has to lose, or she'll die," Li whispered.

"What do you mean, Li?" Ryosuke asked. If he knew anything about what was going on with Sayu, he had to know. "Do you know what's causing this?"

"I don't, but Niiya does. She won't tell me, she's keeping it secret to protect us."

He wanted to grab Li and make him say more, but he would probably just shut down. He would get no answers that way.

Ryosuke heard sounds coming from the pool of spirit water, and he looked down. Sayu was writhing and thrashing in the net, she was about to fall out into the water. Her teeth were gritted and she was nearly screaming in pain. He had never seen such agony, he wanted to dive in and do something to save her, and he almost did.

"No, foolish boy!" said the sage. "Jumping in won't help anyone, she must fight this battle alone!"

"Sit down, Ryosuke," Misa said gently. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he slowly sank back down to his knees.

They sat there for three hours. Ryosuke listened to Sayu cry out and scream, and he had to ignore her. He wanted to either save her or get out of here, he had to do something or he might lose his mind, but he sat still. Finally, after three hours, she stopped moving and crying out.

"Raise the net," said the sage.

Ryosuke and Taro raised the net and brought her back. He took her soaked body in his arms, so relieved to feel her heart beating faintly. Her eyes were still closed, but she was alive.

"Is she healed?" he asked.

The sage waved fire over her like Li had done before. He shook his head solemnly and said, "No, she is worse. Say your goodbyes, child. She will be gone before midnight."

"No!" Ryosuke shouted desperately. "No, no, she can't die, not now, not like this! She's so young, she has her whole life ahead of her, she doesn't deserve to die! We don't even know what this is, how can it be so powerful? There has to be something else you can do, whatever it is, I'll do it!"

"There is nothing you can do. I've never seen an illness like this before, it is beyond my comprehension. The best thing to do is accept it and let her go."

"No, no you're wrong!" he yelled at the sage. Ryosuke turned around and ran, carrying Sayu out of the temple and back to Kiba. Once they reached the sky bison, her eyes opened halfway.

"What's going on, Ryosuke?" she asked. "Did it work?"

"What happened down there?" he asked, partly out of curiosity, but mostly to deflect her question.

"I don't remember. Am I healed?"

Two tears ran down his face. "No, it didn't work. The sage says you won't even see another sunrise."

Ryosuke saw no sadness in her face, no shock or fear. She looked calm, like she accepted her fate without a fight.

"How can you be so brave knowing you're going to die?" he asked.

"Because I chose it," she replied.

"You think this is all your fault? Sayu, you did nothing to deserve this. You are the most wonderful person I've ever met, you deserve better than this."

"I don't," she replied.

The others came out of the temple, looking at the two with pity.

"What should we do now?" asked Misa.

Ryosuke saw a mountain nearby, it would only take minutes to fly to the top on Kiba. "Let's go to the mountain. If this is the last time you'll see the sun, I'm going to make sure you get the best view in the world."

On top of Kiba, flying through the clouds, Sayu could tell Kiba was aware of what was going on. He wasn't flying as fast as he normally did, and it wasn't because he was carrying them. He knew she was going to die, and he seemed to want to savor their last flight together.

The group soon reached the top, where the sun was beginning to set. Ryosuke gingerly lifted Sayu out of the saddle and held her so she could see the gorgeous view. She could see other mountains in the distance, lit up by the glow of the fading sunlight. She heard birds singing somewhere in the distance, returning home to their nests. She could even see the royal palace from here.

"Thank you for bringing me up here, Ryosuke," she said as she smiled up at him.

He opened his mouth to reply, but then they all heard a loud boom, and black smoke billowed up in a distant city.

"The Black Lotus are attacking again!" said Misa. "We have to do something."

"No," said Ryosuke. "They don't need us. We'll help them tomorrow, but for right now, Sayu should have peace."

The second the words left his mouth, Sayu's head whipped back, and she began to speak, but she wasn't the one speaking, someone else was using her as a mouthpiece, a puppet.

_"This ends now."_ Though the words were coming from her mouth, it was another voice entirely, it sounded nothing like her. _"I will have no more of this."_

"Look at her eyes!" Taro said in shock. "They're glowing!"

"I can't believe it!" said Misa. "Sayu is the avatar!"


	6. Secrets

From the moment Atasi was first handed the baby Sayu to raise and train, she could sense the great spiritual energy emanating from within her. She had never felt anything like it before.

When Sayu was just three years old, Atasi could already see great potential in her. The girl could perform basic acts of airbending, she was far ahead of all the other children her age, and some even older than her. Atasi knew she would grow up to do amazing things, she might even be the avatar.

But when she was five years old , her powers seemed to regress all of a sudden. She went from making tiny hurricanes in her hands to barely being able to make a small gust of wind. Atasi tried everything to bring her powers out again, but nothing worked. Sayu was like a flower that was blooming brighter than all the other flowers around her, but she wilted before she could reach her true potential. It baffled Atasi, what could have caused this?

The elders thought she might do better in another temple, so they sent her to Western Air Temple to see if they could help her. They tried every trick in the book, from meditating to special herb mixtures, but they had no success either. They sent the young girl back with no answers, leaving everyone stumped.

Over the years, everyone forgot Sayu was once a prodigy when they saw Ryosuke. He was almost guaranteed to be the avatar, and even after it was determined that he wasn't, he was still looked on with dignity and honor. Everyone forgot Sayu, everyone except Atasi, who was determined to trigger her latent powers and bring them out once again, but she never had any luck.

The reason Sayu's powers disappeared was a mystery to all but the little girl herself. Sayu's true gift was not her bending, but her brain. She was a genius, her powers paled in comparison to her intellect. She learned to read years before the other children, and she was very good at formulating strategies that suited her. She always looked at the big picture, she could judge whether an idea would work or not and any consequences that might happen as a result. She knew how to manipulate those around her and how to disguise her true self, because she knew she would be a fool to let others see what she could really do.

On her fifth birthday, before she went to sleep, she lit a candle and looked out her window. Down below she saw Ryosuke putting a bucket of water over her door so it would fall on her the next morning. It didn't matter to her that this was payback for her putting spiders down the back of his pants, she was sick of him and wished he would just disappear. Her anger flared up when she saw him, and the candle flared up with it, setting her hair on fire. She had a cup of water on her desk and she quickly grabbed it and poured it over her head, putting out the flames before they could spread to her skin.

Once she put the fire out, she realized what she had just done. Her first thought was that maybe the wind blew and made it hit her hair, but there was no wind that night. There was only one explanation: she was the avatar. It was unbelievable, but here was the proof right in front of her. To prove it to herself, she concentrated on the water soaking into her dress. She was able to pull the water droplets out of her dress and hold them in midair. She then let them fall to the grass below. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide as saucers.

Sayu didn't sleep at all that night. She spent every hour in the dark playing with her newfound abilities, certain that this had to be a dream and when she woke up it would be gone, so she had to explore her powers while she had them. She grinned from ear to ear and had to keep herself from laughing with glee.

An hour before dawn, Sayu finally fell asleep. But when she did, she saw visions of past avatars. Though she only slept for an hour, she saw hundreds of lifetimes.

In the visions, she saw joy and pain intertwined, but she focused only on the pain. In them she could only see the restraints of being the avatar, the crushing responsibility and expectations. Every avatar before her saved the world time and time again, and they brought peace, but peace never lasted very long. The people always claimed they wanted peace, but they always brought about pain and suffering instead. The avatar wasn't a hero, the avatar was a maid that was expected to clean up the world's messes over and over again. Now that she had been chosen to be the next avatar, in her mind, she would be nothing more than a slave to the people.

When Sayu awoke an hour later with the sun shining on her face, she started to cry. She had been so excited before, ready to tell everyone what she was. She was no longer happy or excited, she was angry and scared.

When Atasi came to wake her, Sayu told her she was feeling ill, and so she let her stay in bed for the day. Sayu spent the time thinking about what she should do.

She decided to hide her powers from everyone. One witness was all it would take to expose her powers, so she had to keep it secret. By that night, she had a plan.

The next day, Sayu put her plan into action. Whereas before she was at the top, she let herself sink to the very bottom. Every day she put on a performance of foolishness, making her once prodigious powers look mediocre, pathetic and weak. None of the elders could explain why this happened. When they asked her about it, she would play dumb, sometimes she would even cry to get their sympathy.

When she was paired with Ryosuke, she was constantly tempted to unleash her powers and make him look like a fool. When they became friends, it was easier to resist. When the monks gave her the test of having her choose four toys out of hundreds, she was drawn to four relics, but she purposefully chose the wrong toys to throw them off her trail. The failed test combined with her failed powers assured everyone that she couldn't possibly be the avatar. The elders could always sense a great deal of spiritual energy within her, but they brushed it off, because clearly it was wasted on her. She practiced the other elements in absolute secrecy, making sure no one ever saw her.

For five years, Sayu was content to just stay hidden. But then it occurred to her one day that by being the avatar and an Air Nomad, she was doubly bound to strive for peace for others. She didn't just want to avoid her destiny, she wanted to completely rebel by fighting against it.

She went on another journey to the Western Air Temple when she was ten. The temple was near the Fire Nation, and at night she would fly on her sky bison to Fire Nation villages.

One night, she flew to a village with a bell that was used in case of emergencies. Sayu used the bell to bring everyone out of their homes and into the village square.

"What's going on?"

"Is there an emergency?"

"Who rang the bell?"

The villagers were all confused and wondering what was going on. Sayu jumped down from the bell tower and stood in the middle of the crowd.

"My name is Sayu, and I'm the avatar."

The people murmured, and she continued. "I have a job for all of you. When the time comes, I want you to attack the villages around you. You'll hide behind masks, and go under the name of the Black Lotus."

The people laughed at her, which she had expected. "And why would we do that?" one of them asked.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, I said I'm the avatar. With a flick of my finger I could bring down an avalanche of boulders onto your homes." As she said this, she slammed her fists into the ground, making the earth quake beneath their feet, making them whimper in fear. "I could flood your village in the blink of an eye." Sayu pulled water out of the plants around her feet and whipped it at their heads. They ducked, and it missed. "I could burn all your houses to the ground like a volcano."

Instead of summoning fire, she grabbed a little girl from the crowd. For a second, Sayu hesitated. She had never hurt anyone before, was she really willing to go that far for this? Yes, she was. She used her fingers to suck the air out of the girl's lungs. She gasped and tried to breathe, and she started to turn blue.

The villagers gasped and pulled their children away from her. A man stepped forward and said, "Stop! As the chief of this village I order you to let my daughter go!"

Sayu did as he said and let the girl breathe. The girl drew in heaving gasps, but then let out a scream of pain. Sayu released her, but when she did, she left her with a burn in the shape of her hand.

"Let her mark be a reminder to you all of what will happen if you don't do as I say. I will return to the Fire Nation one day, and when I do I'll send a message, and you will do everything I say. Understood?"

No one knew what to do. Never before had the avatar threatened people's lives, let alone in cold blood. They couldn't fight her, they were powerless to stop her, so their only choice was to give in and do as she commanded. The people looked into the cold eyes of the avatar, and lowered their heads in defeat.

"Good. And one last thing: No one is to tell anyone I was here, or that you've seen the avatar. If any of you give away my secret, I'll do everything I said I would, and worse. You can't fight me in the avatar state, anyone who even tries will die."

Sayu would go on to deliver the same message to many other villages across the world. No one revealed her secret, they stayed quiet in fear of her.

When the elders in her temple announced that they could not find the avatar, she got an idea to set her plans for the Black Lotus in motion. When she and Ryosuke reached each point of their destination, she signaled the villages to revolt and attack. In the Southern Water Tribe, she had only threatened a few certain people from the village and made them fight their own people. That's why there were few deaths, they didn't want to hurt their friends and neighbors more than necessary.

There were times when Sayu wondered if this was all worth it. She knew in her heart that what she was doing was wrong, that it was her duty to protect people, not force them to hurt each other. Maybe she should stop, tell everyone what she was, and bring peace to the world.

But every time this thought came to her, she shot it down. She was born with the element of freedom, and so she would fight for her freedom by rejecting everything her destiny tried to force upon her and creating chaos instead. One day she would get Ryosuke to see things her way, and then they would both have freedom. No matter what she did, she always justified it and believed she was doing what was best.


	7. The Avatar Revealed

"_Yes,"_ said the spirit, using Sayu's voice. _"Sayu is the avatar, and I am Raava, spirit of peace and light. Merged with a human spirit, we are the avatar spirit. I chose Sayu after the passing of the last avatar. She was meant to keep balance in the world and bring peace, but she did the opposite and has thrown the world into disorder and chaos."_

They couldn't believe what they were hearing. They wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't seen it for themselves.

"_The world is in such disarray that even spirits of those who have died cannot move on to the Spirit World, they are trapped here to haunt the living until order is restored."_

Everyone turned to look at Li, who didn't seem at all surprised by this.

Taro said in wonder, "He wasn't crazy after all."

"Niiya is his sister," said Misa in awe.

"I told you she was here," he mumbled. He wasn't gloating, just stating fact.

The spirit continued. _"She has lied to you since you were children, she has lied to the entire world. That is the reason she is dying; to cause disorder she had to go against me, she has been fighting me for years. Since we are connected, fighting me makes her weak and ill. She is only sick now because her plan is coming to fruition. War is nigh, and if Sayu isn't stopped, thousands will die. I tried to stop her in the spirit water, and the past avatars pleaded with her to change, but she wouldn't listen to us. By opposing me, she is killing herself. She chose this."_

Ryosuke wanted to cover his ears and block this out, it couldn't be true. But the proof was staring him in the face, he would be a fool to deny it now. "Sayu, how could you?"

Sayu's eyes continued to glow, but she regained control of her body. It was all over, her secret had been given away, so there was no point in hiding now. She stood to her feet and said with her own voice and the voices of all the avatars before her, "I couldn't do it. As an Air Nomad, and as the avatar, my fate was always to save people from themselves and try to bring peace to a world that doesn't want it. I didn't have a choice, a job was forced on me and I was expected to do it without question. I never asked for the entire world to be put on my shoulders, I never asked to be a martyr! This is the only way I can be who I want to be and change my destiny!"

"And the Black Lotus? What about them?" asked Misa accusingly.

"There is no Black Lotus," Sayu said derisively. "I created the idea of the Black Lotus, it was designed to show you and everyone else how much you let fear dominate you. The world is going to war over this, that's how people always solve their problems. Today it's the Black Lotus, tomorrow it's someone else. The avatar is pointless!"

Ryosuke suddenly understood what Li had said before, that to win she had to lose. The battle raging within her was what was killing her, and the only way she could survive was to lose to Raava. If she won this, she would die.

He walked right up to her and said, "So you were just using all of us this whole time? You were using me? Was our friendship even real, or was that a lie, too?"

"Of course not, you're my best friend, Ryosuke," said Sayu as she cupped his cheek with her hand. She smiled and said, "I love you, and I want us to be together, just like you said."

She tried to kiss him, but he shoved her away. "No, stay away from me! You're a monster, look at what you've done! People are being hurt, people are dying because of you!"

"Can't you see it was the only way?" she yelled at him. "This is the only way I could be free! No one can tie me down, no one can control me. I've known all along that doing this would cause me to die, but death is a small price to pay to be the most powerful being in the world and to have complete and utter freedom! You can't imagine what it feels like, to take charge of your own destiny! If I weren't about to die, I could dominate the earth. We could rule together, Ryosuke!"

"You're insane!" he shouted at her, and she let out a scream of rage and shot a blast of fire at him. He jumped out of the way, but she shot more fire at him.

"Stop her!" shouted Misa like a war cry, and the three of them joined Ryosuke. Sayu rose into the air and fought all four at once with all four elements. She looked terrifying with her eyes glowing and blazing and with her hair blowing around her face.

Ryosuke felt the powerful urge to run away again. His entire world was shattered, the person he loved was a killer and a liar. How many people were dead because of her? How many would die if they didn't stop the war from starting? And would she care, even a little? No, she was going by her own twisted logic. How had he never seen it? Was she such a great actor that she could fool everyone in their temple? Or had he looked the other way, not wanting to see what was right in front of him? It didn't matter now either way, because despite his feelings of love and betrayal, he had to stop her. Running wasn't an option, he had to save all those people.

Sayu deflected a fireball from Li and then used her airbending to suck the air from his lungs. He collapsed to his knees grasping at his neck, choking for air. He was drowning in a sea of oxygen. But Misa threw off Sayu's concentration by shooting a spear of ice at her head. She stopped it in time, and Li gasped and coughed and was able to breathe again.

In retaliation, Sayu took the spear and threw it back at Misa. Misa raised her hands to make a shield of ice, but she wasn't fast enough. Taro jumped in front of her just in time and the spear pierced him in the shoulder.

"Taro!" Misa cried. She was about to run to his aid, but Sayu shot dozens of tiny, jagged rocks at her and she had to block them from hitting her or Taro. She moved away from him so Sayu wouldn't come near him, and continued fighting.

"Sayu, stop this!" Ryosuke shouted. She ignored him and shot out a ring of fire, nearly hitting them all. Ryosuke came up from behind her and grabbed her leg and pulled her down. He held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eye and said, "You have to stop! You're going to kill them, they're our friends! If you don't stop, you'll die too, and what good is your so-called freedom if you're dead? Be the Sayu I grew up with, the one that made me laugh and knew me better than anyone else! I love you Sayu, I can help you, but only if you'll let me. We can fix everything, we can go back to what we had, but you have to stop hurting everyone!"

Sayu looked up at him for a moment, she looked into his pleading eyes, considering his words. They were tempting, they enticed her, and she nearly said yes. But she couldn't do it. She had come too far, she wouldn't lose everything she'd worked so hard for. She summoned a bolt of lightning and, before he even knew what was happening, she struck him through the heart. Excruciating pain surged through him, it felt like his entire body was being consumed in flames. It was so terrible he couldn't make a sound, it lasted a few seconds but felt like a thousand years. He fell to the ground, but his eyes stayed open for a second longer, staring up at the girl he loved.

Sayu stood over him for a moment. Ryosuke thought he saw regret in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure. She closed her eyes and said, "I loved you, Ryosuke."

Those words were her last. The act of killing Ryosuke completely severed her from Raava. She screamed in agony as she felt her very soul being ripped from her body, and then she too collapsed, right beside Ryosuke. Her limp hand landed over his.

Misa, Taro, and Li watched as golden light left Sayu's body. As it floated up into the sky, Kiba came over to where Sayu lay and let out a grief-stricken roar. They had to cover their ears against the sound of the poor, broken creature. They wondered if the bison was aware of what Sayu had done. Maybe he did, but he loved her anyway and wanted her to come back to him. Kiba lifted his dearest friend in his mouth and flew away with her lifeless body, and none of them tried to stop him.

Misa dashed to Taro, who was trying to sit up. The spear was still in his shoulder, she cut most of it but left it in his shoulder to keep him from bleeding out. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

"To prove that, even though I'm an earthbender, I'm not made of stone," he said weakly as a ghost of a smile flitted across his face. "And to keep you from getting hurt."

"Thank you," Misa whispered. She had never expected to see such a selfless act from him. She turned away and walked over to Ryosuke and put a hand over his heart, bracing herself to feel nothing. No one could have survived that. But to her amazement, she felt a weak heartbeat. She gasped and said, "He's still alive! We have to get him help! Li, while I try to heal Ryosuke, you help Taro."

Li nodded and went over to Taro's side. Misa tore open Ryosuke's shirt and tried to heal the wound over his heart, but there was little she could do, the damage was too extensive. She hefted him onto her back, and Li helped Taro to his feet and lent him support in walking. As they began to take their first steps, Li suddenly let go of Taro, and with no support he fell to his knees.

"Niiya!" Li shouted. "Niiya, come back, don't go!"

"When Sayu died, it must have allowed the spirits to move on," Misa deduced, feeling sorry for him.

Taro managed to pick himself up and walk to Li. He put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry about your sister, I know you loved each other very much. She's at peace now, she's happy."

"I'm glad she's gone," said Li quietly as tears streaked down his face. "After all these years I can finally have peace, too. But I didn't get to tell her goodbye, and… I haven't been alone in so long… I don't know if I can stand to be alone. I've lost everyone now."

"You won't be alone, I promise," said Misa. "Now we need to go, we have a long trip ahead of us and Ryosuke won't live much longer without help."

Li let Taro put his arm back around his shoulders for support, and slowly, mournfully, they walked down the mountain.

* * *

When Ryosuke woke later, he was in the worst pain of his life. Every breath took immense effort. It felt like his blood was boiling in his veins, scorching his body from the inside out. It took him some time to remember why he was in pain, and to remember what had happened.

Opening his eyes was a challenge, and he didn't even try to move anything else. He opened his eyes halfway and saw that he was in an unfamiliar room. Dim light streamed in from a window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Li sitting by his bed, his eyes glassy as he seemed to be staring at the wall but not seeing it. He noticed Taro was in a bed next to his, but he was propped up against a pillow with bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest. Misa was sitting on the edge of his bed, they were talking to each other in whispers.

"You're finally awake, thank goodness," said Misa when she realized he was awake. Relief washed over her face as she got up and poured Ryosuke a cup of tea. She put her hand behind his head and slowly helped him drink it, and the tea marginally eased his pain.

"Where… are we?" he asked weakly.

"We're in an infirmary. You've been unconscious for three days, we were afraid you wouldn't wake up at all," said Misa.

"Where's Sayu?" he asked.

"She died right after she shot you," Li replied softly. "She won the fight against Raava, and it killed her."

Ryosuke felt seething rage at her for her betrayal. There was nowhere for his anger to go, so it simmered deep in his gut. He tried to push Sayu out of his mind, but he couldn't do it, she stayed at the forefront of his thoughts.

"What about the war, and the Black Lotus?" he asked.

"We sent word out about Sayu being the avatar, but it's too soon to know the damage that's already been done," Taro replied from his bed.

"But it should stop the war, they have no reason to go to war against your people now," said Misa.

"Except for the fact that the cause of all these problems was an airbender," Ryosuke pointed out.

"And she's dead. She can't do any more damage, and the avatar will be reborn in one of the Water Tribes," said Taro. "They can't justify a war now, if they really want to fight your people, they'll have to wait for another day," said Taro.

"So everything goes back to normal now," said Ryosuke morosely. "Are all of you okay?"

"You're the one who almost died, and you ask how we're doing," said Misa with a hint of a smile.

"Last time I saw him, Taro wasn't doing so hot."

"I'm fine," said Taro as he rolled his eyes. "Mom won't let me leave the infirmary."

"I'll let you leave once I'm sure you won't drop dead of an infection," Misa retorted.

Ryosuke suddenly remembered what they'd learned about Li's sister. He turned to Li and said, "What about Niiya?"

"She moved on when Sayu died," he replied solemnly. Ryosuke noticed that the dark circles under his eyes had diminished a little, and his face seemed to have more color.

"Are you going back to the asylum?" Ryosuke asked.

"No, I'm not going back."

"Good, you don't belong there." And he meant it, too.

"There's something you need to know, Ryosuke," said Misa. She pulled at her braid and looked down at the floor, avoiding his gaze. "There's no easy way to say this…"

"Just say it," he said firmly.

"I did everything I could, I tried to heal you, but the wound runs too deep. Ryosuke, the lightning, it… it ruined your heart. I don't know how much time you have left, but it's not much. You have months, a few years at best. I'm sorry."

He surprised them all when he let out a bitter, mirthless laugh. "How fitting. I'm going to die of a broken heart."

Misa gently put her arms around him. She held onto him for a long moment, and he was grateful for her kindness. She pulled away with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm so, so sorry."

Li put a hand on his arm and looked him in the eye. "It'll be all right. You'll make it through this."

Taro groaned as he pulled himself out of bed. "I don't have anything to say that can fix anything. There aren't words to describe what you must be going through right now. You'll probably want to go home once you're well enough to travel, but just know that we'll be here for you."

Ryosuke nodded, he had nothing to say. They left the room, giving him time to be alone and come to terms with everything. He stared up at the ceiling, letting his anger and bitterness course through him. But after a while, those feelings started to fade, despite his attempts to hold onto them. Once they were gone, he was left with feelings of crushing sorrow and grief. He grieved his life that was cut short, and he mourned for the loss of his best friend and the love of his life. Even after what she had done to him, he still missed her, and wished she could be here with him. He wished the lightning had killed him instantly, instead of taunting him with a few extra days. He wished he was already dead.

He briefly imagined the life they could have had, would have had if she hadn't done this. He envisioned asking her to marry him, having their own home and children to love and raise. He imagined teaching his children how to fly, and taking them to choose a sky bison, and seeing them earn their arrow. He imagined holding Sayu's hand, laughing with her and crying with her, spending their days together falling more and more in love each day. He had wanted to grow old with her, but now neither of them would grow old, period. He buried his face in his hands and wept over the future that would never be.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ One chapter left! This story's not quite over yet._


	8. Epilogue

"What happened then, Gyatso? Was the war stopped, and the Black Lotus? What happened to Ryosuke and the others?"

"Slow down, Aang. I will give you the answers, no need to fret."

Gyatso and Aang were sitting in the Southern Air Temple. For their lesson that day, Gyatso was telling Aang a story over tea.

Gyatso refilled Aang's tea cup and his own and continued, "The war was indeed prevented. And with Avatar Sayu gone, the Black Lotus died with her, the people were able to go back to their lives without fear. But the world was still in disorder and peril, and so Misa, Taro, and Li worked together to set things right. Despite their efforts though, Avatar Sayu's damage wasn't completely undone until the next avatar grew up and completed her training and brought balance back to the world."

"Wait, I thought you said Ryosuke survived," said Aang. He took a sip of tea and asked, "Why didn't he help? I mean, I know about his injury, but maybe they were wrong, maybe he did get better. He did get better, right?"

Gyatso sighed and shook his head sadly. "They didn't really save his life, they just bought him a bit more time. Because of the lightning strike, instead of dying on the battlefield, he died a slow, painful death over the course of ten years. At your age, ten years seems like a long time, but when it's all you have left…"

"I feel so bad for him. To be betrayed like that by the person he loved… I bet he never forgave Sayu for what she did."

"Well, it's a curious thing, actually. Ryosuke had to use a cane or a wheelchair for the remainder of his days. He was often ill, and he was always in pain. But when they discovered the new avatar, a little girl named Jade from the Northern Water Tribe, he insisted that they let him teach her airbending. Everyone was against it at first, as you might expect, but he argued that he was going to die anyway and that not teaching her wouldn't prolong his life. They gave in, and from his wheelchair he taught her airbending. She mastered it under his tutelage by the time she was ten years old."

"You mean he didn't resent her? How could he not be angry after something like that?" asked Aang in confusion. "I mean, I know we're supposed to try to make peace and I'm all about that, but to not even be angry?"

"Oh, I'm sure he was very angry, I never said he wasn't angry. But I suppose that instead of letting his anger consume him, he dealt with it in another way. Not many could let go of their anger and resentment like that, it must have been a very difficult thing for him to do."

"Maybe it was because he knew he was dying, he didn't want to waste his final days stewing in bitterness," Aang offered.

Gyatso smiled in approval. "That is what I think, as well."

"So, what was the next avatar like? Did they keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't snap, too?"

"They kept their eye on her, but not too much. They didn't really need to, Avatar Jade was made well aware of what her predecessor had done, and she did everything in her power to make sure she never repeated her actions. From what I've read, she was perhaps too hard on herself, but in her time as avatar, there were no wars."

"I can't believe that I was once Sayu." Aang had been told just a few days ago that he was the avatar, he was still trying to take it in and accept it. "But I don't understand, I thought the avatar was supposed to be the embodiment of everything good, I thought the avatar always strove for peace and balance, how could Sayu go so wrong?"

"It is folly to assume that the avatar is incapable of doing wrong," said Gyatso as he finished his second cup of tea. "Not all airbenders desire peace, just as not all firebenders desire power. The story I have just told you took place centuries ago, and it is one that is almost never told. Do you know why?"

Aang shook his head no.

"It is because most people don't want to accept the fact that the avatar can make mistakes, and can even choose to harm the world instead of protect it. It's frightening to know that the person who is supposed to keep you safe could very well kill you. But Avatar Sayu's story is very important, because of that very reason. She twisted everything the Air Nomads and the avatar stands for, she let it drive her to insanity and it destroyed her. But as far as we know, she was the only avatar to do so.

"Aang, I know you are scared of the responsibilities you will have as the avatar. Others will look to you for wisdom and guidance, they will call your name when they need help. They will believe you could never choose the wrong path, but that isn't correct. The avatar is not inherently good, he or she must choose whether they will fight for good or evil, just like everyone else. What becomes of our lives depends not on who we are born as, but on the choices we make every day."

"I wish I wasn't the avatar, why was I chosen?" Aang asked in despair. "No one wants to be my friend anymore, and it'll be my job to keep everyone happy. If I fail, everyone will hate me and lots of people could get hurt. And now I find out that one of my past lives was a psycho, which means I could become a psycho, too!"

"I didn't tell you this story to frighten you, though it is important to take seriously. It was a mistake to tell you at such a young age that you are the avatar, but sometimes we are given burdens we are not yet ready to carry. If you can learn to carry this burden well, and I believe you can and will, it will not be quite as scary. And like I said before, whatever path you choose is up to you, not your past lives. Learn from them, but do not linger too long on their stories."

"You really think I can do this?" asked Aang hopefully.

"I taught you myself, how could you not?" Gyatso chuckled.

Aang cracked a smile, but he was still worried. He asked, "Is there any more to the story?"

"As a matter of fact, there is a little more. The story was written by Ryosuke and his friends. Some of it came straight from Sayu herself. Jade once channeled Sayu's spirit so Ryosuke could talk to her one last time, so that he might understand why she did those terrible things. Ryosuke kept most of what went on between them to himself, but what he did share was in that story. There is a little more here, written shortly before he passed away in his sleep. I'll let you read it."

Gyatso handed him the book, and Aang read the last few pages silently to himself. As he read, he felt transported into the story, he felt like he was really there with them.

_Ryosuke was sitting on a beach with white sand in the Fire Nation. The ocean was calm, there were no waves that day. There weren't many people on the beach, so it was very quiet. He was sitting by the cool water, letting it run over his bare feet._

_Misa, Taro, Li, and Jade had brought him here for his twenty-seventh birthday. Every birthday was a small victory now, and his friends always made sure to celebrate it as such. He knew it would be his last victory, though. His friends did as well, but they refused to admit it, as though refusing to accept it might stop it from happening._

_Jade was building a sandcastle while the others had just finished swimming and were leaving the water. She had short, dark brown hair that she kept braided. She hummed while she worked, and her light blue eyes were lit up with happiness. It seemed the young girl could be happy no matter where she was, whether she was in the frigid Northern Water Tribe or in the scorching Fire Nation. _

_They had discovered she was the avatar when she was six years old. She had just begun learning basic waterbending forms, but they stopped her waterbending training so that she could train with him. It was unconventional for her to learn airbending first, but if Ryosuke was to teach her, his ailment prevented them from waiting. So she and her parents and her little brothers moved to the Southern Air Temple to train with him. His friends came to visit him often, and when he was healthy enough, they would take him to other parts of the world so that he wouldn't have to stagnate in one place._

_After years of being her teacher, Ryosuke still wasn't entirely sure why he had insisted he should be the one to do it. Anyone else could have done the job, and they probably would have done a much better job of it. But he needed to keep busy, and teaching Jade was the only way he could deal with his feelings of anger, bitterness, and betrayal. If he didn't do it, he believed those feelings would consume him. Perhaps he needed to teach her because it reminded him of the happy times he had with Sayu when they were children. Happy times that would never be repeated, because now all he had were memories._

"_Hey Jade, why don't you go challenge Taro to a volleyball match?" Ryosuke suggested. "He looks way too happy over there, you need to kick his butt."_

"_My pleasure," she said with a sly grin. The girl had recently turned ten and was very proud of it. Though Jade was still young, she was growing fast and she was_ _already very skilled and powerful. _

_Jade ran to the others, and they started playing volleyball, girls versus boys. The boys seemed to be winning, and he wished he could join them, but just walking to the beach with his cane had been a struggle. He smiled as he watched his friends play. Despite the boys being ahead, the girls managed to pull through and win the game. But then they noticed that their picnic basket was floating away in the ocean. They chased after it, but it was too late. They gave up, and Jade ran over to him. _

"_Hey, Ryosuke!" she said cheerfully. "Our picnic basket floated away, so the others are going to get some more food for dinner. I decided to stay here and keep you company. So, what are you doing?"_

"_Having a blast playing catch with crabs." He took a shell and flicked it over to a small red crab, who caught it and scurried off with it. "It's very intense and requires a lot of skill, only true masters can do it."_

_Jade giggled and sat down beside him, letting her toes touch the water. She asked, "Why don't you join our game? We won't play too hard, come on and have fun with us."_

"_I'll try to talk my ticker into it, but it's pretty stubborn."_

_They both looked out at the water for a while. The sun wouldn't be out much longer, and its fading glow reflected beautifully on the water. They could already see the moon coming out, too impatient to wait until the sun went down. _

"_Avatar Sayu believed that the avatar was pointless, that nothing we do will change anything. Is that true?" Jade asked out of nowhere._

_Ryosuke was caught off guard, but he answered, "It probably feels like it sometimes, but think of all the lives you'll change and make better. Even if you only save one life, doesn't that make it worth it? Sayu wasn't thinking of the individual lives she could have made better, she only saw the big picture and how bleak it can be. There will always be people who do terrible things, but there will also always be people who want to change the world for the better and help the people in it. The avatar doesn't just save lives and end wars, the avatar is a symbol of hope, and hope makes people want to help others and do what's right."_

_Jade nodded, then said, "I learned something new a few days ago."_

"_What's that?" he asked._

"_Since the day they told me I'm the avatar, I've known what Avatar Sayu was like. They tell me that she tried to start a war, and a lot of people got hurt because of her. They tell me she was crazy, but after I summoned her so you could talk to her… I found out that you used to be her best friend, but not just that. You and Sayu were in love."_

_Ryosuke turned his eyes back toward the water. "Yes, we were. But we loved each other in different ways. I never knew what she was until it was too late, she was very good at keeping herself hidden."_

"_If she loved you, why did she do this to you?" she asked._

"_Because I wouldn't go along with what she was doing, I was trying to get her to stop. I think she tried to kill me so that I couldn't change her mind and ruin her plans. If that's the case, then it means there was some good left in her. That's what I like to believe, anyway."_

"_Do you hate me because of her?" asked Jade, her eyes glistening._

"_No I don't, don't ever think that. I haven't forgiven her, but I've let go of the past because I want peace. You're not Sayu, you're Jade, and so I have no reason to hate you. You're my friend, Jade, and it's been an honor to teach you."_

_Jade grinned and hugged him, and he hugged her back. He knew soon she would have to find a new airbending master, and the thought saddened him. At least her new master would be able to fly with her. _

_The others came back a minute later carrying another basket of food. Taro had his arm around Misa's waist, and if you looked closely you could see a tiny baby bump beginning to form under her dress. Ryosuke still had no idea how Taro managed to talk Misa into marrying him, but they loved each other very much and made each other happy._

_Li was blushing, his whole face was beet red. Ryosuke looked and saw what caused it: a cute girl was waving at him. He'd seen her around before, trying to coax Li out of his shell. He knew she'd win him over eventually. Li looked so much healthier these days than when they had first met him, you'd never know he was once in a mental asylum. There were still days when he would go off by himself or gaze longingly at the sky, but he and Niiya were both at peace._

_They ate dinner on the beach, laughing and making jokes. They had to fight the seagulls to keep them from stealing their food, and more than once they had to move their picnic away from the water. _

_After dark, when the moon and a few glimmering stars were out, Jade took some fireworks that they had bought earlier that day. Li set the fuse and launched them into the sky. Ryosuke watched them explode in the sky with child-like wonder, he smiled at the extraordinary lights dancing across the sky. _

_Ryosuke slept on the beach that night, and his friends stayed with him. Before he fell asleep, his thoughts were on Sayu, as they always were when he was trying to sleep. He pushed her face out of his thoughts and thought of Misa, Taro, Li, and Jade. He wanted to think of the good they were bringing to the world, and how it was a better place now with them keeping watch. _

_Ryosuke wanted to think of the flowers that grew around the air temple this time of year, how beautiful they were in the spring after the cold winter. He wanted to think of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair as he soared through the sky, it had been so long since he was able to fly. _

_He wanted to keep on going with his friends. He wanted to see Taro and Misa's baby, he wanted to go to Li's wedding someday, he wanted to watch Jade grow up and be happy, but he couldn't. It was bittersweet to know he would be leaving soon, but it would be a relief to leave the pain of his broken body behind. _

_Really though, he wanted to think of Sayu. Not Avatar Sayu, he wanted to think of his best friend Sayu, the only girl he ever loved. He wanted to remember her smile, the feeling of her lips and the soft skin of her hands. He wanted to remember how she looked when they flew together, with her hair blowing in the wind and a carefree smile on her face. He wanted to remember how she always knew how to make him laugh, and how she knew him better than anyone, even if he hadn't known her. _

_He was so glad to have his friends stick by him through all this, he couldn't have made it even this far without them. Some good had come from his journey with Sayu, after all. He had to remind himself of that sometimes. He often had to remind himself of the good things in his life, because there were days when the pain and the ache in his chest were almost unbearable. But with them by his side, he could bear it just a little while longer._

Aang was saddened by Ryosuke's words, but at the same time, it made him feel more content about being the avatar. He was still scared of it, he still resented it, but maybe if he had friends by his side, it wouldn't be so bad. He read the last line of the book, written by Ryosuke himself in his own words.

_I'll see my friends again one day, I know I will. I'll miss them until then, but for now I wish them all the happiness in the world. If I can remember the good and forget the bad, then I can be at peace when I leave, and there's no tragedy in that._

_The End_

* * *

_**Author's Note:** I wrote this fic to explore three ideas I was interested in: 1. An avatar going bad (inspired by season 2 of LOK with Unalaq joining with Vaatu to become a dark avatar, I felt there was a lot of unused potential there) 2. An Air Nomad as a villain (because we've had villains from all the other nations except there. We've sort of got one now with Zaheer) and 3. Writing a story from seemingly the hero's point of view, only to have it turn out to be the villain in the end. _

_I had a lot of fun exploring these ideas and seeing what I could do with them. Let me know how you think I did with it, if you like these concepts and how I wrote them._

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews, and thanks for reading my very first Avatar story. I hope you enjoyed it._


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